Alchemists meet Agents, Again
by TheFullmetalBitch
Summary: Ed and Roy find themselves back in America but this time they face a different challenge. Truth had nothing to do with their trip this time so how will they get home? Hopefully with help from NCIS and the BAU! *Now completely revised by the fabulous PhoenixQueen!*
1. Chapter 1

**Alchemists Meet Agents, Again by The Fullmetal Bitch**

 **Chapter One**

 _Crack_.

Edward swore loudly as he pushed off hard with his left foot, diving to the right to avoid the bullet that had been aimed at him by the criminal he was currently pursuing. His automail shoulder hit the pavement and he tucked his head and rolled with a practiced move, coming back to his feet and continuing his flat sprint down the narrow street of the warehouse district of Central. He could feel a warm liquid running down his left arm, and a quick glance down revealed spots of a darker crimson red soaking through the sleeve of his red coat. It didn't hurt enough to indicate that he'd been shot, nor to distract him from the chase and it didn't feel life-threatening. He had probably just nicked it on a stone or piece of debris when he'd dodged, so he ignored it. There would be time to get it treated once he'd apprehended the thief he was chasing.

Movement from his right caught his eye and he turned his head just enough to see that Alphonse had managed to catch up to him. It was hard to tell, with his attention divided between his brother and his target, but it seemed as if Al was running easily, his breathing deep and even. He couldn't stop the spike of worry that went through him, however, as he and Al ran side by side. It had only been two months since Al was released from the hospital, and his physical therapist had cleared him to accompany Ed on his missions only a couple of days ago. Ed knew he was stupid to worry about Al's physical health, but he couldn't help it. He'd only gotten his brother's body back four months ago, but no one had needed a medical license to realise exactly how bad off Al was when they'd emerged from the portal together and Al's initial surge of adrenaline had faded. The image of his little brother's skeletal body, hooked up to a dozen machines, IVs, and feeding tubes to combat the severe malnourishment and muscular atrophy he'd suffered, lying so still in the bed and so weak he could barely open his eyes, let alone speak, would haunt Ed for the rest of his life. It was, in fact, the newest feature in his recurring nightmares.

"Brother, he's gone!" Al gasped in surprise as he slid to a stop at an intersection of two streets, taking deep breaths as he peered down the streets looking for their target. Ed halted his own run as he looked around, searching for any movement or sound that would indicate where the thief had disappeared to. Taking deep, practiced breaths to slow his breathing and regain his composure, he listened for any noise that would tell them where to go, even as he watched Al closely. His brother was mimicking his actions, slowing his own breathing, watching, and waiting.

After a tense thirty seconds, Ed let out a frustrated groan as he failed to see or hear anything that pointed to where the criminal was hiding. Al let out a similar noise as he also failed to come up with anything, and Ed used the opportunity to give his brother a more thorough once-over, racking his brother's body with his golden gaze. When Al had been hospitalised four months ago, after the Promised Day, his hair had been longer than Ed's and he had been trembling from the effort it took to breathe. Now, however, his golden hair was cut short, like it had been before _that_ night, and he was only breathing heavily because of the intensity of the chase. He had a few scratches on his arms and one on his cheek, his clothes were filthy, but he had no major injuries that Ed could see. It seemed, in fact, that the strain of the chase was showing only slightly more on Alphonse than it was for Ed.

"Well, fuck," Ed swore harshly as he gave one last look at the surrounding warehouses for any movement. "I do not want to have to go back to Colonel Bastard and tell him we lost this asshole."

Edward pointedly ignored the exasperated look his brother gave him. Mustang had assigned them this mission the day before, and it was definitely out of the norm, even for the typical sorts of cases he occasionally helped the Central MPs with when he wasn't on a mission away from Central. Jarrod Moore was a twenty-four-year old, known low-level criminal. His record indicated a long history of pickpocketing and muggings going back about six years. He'd served various brief stints in Central prison, but he'd been out of prison for almost a year at this point. He'd recently been linked to six robberies over the past month – five out of the six had been home robberies with the fourth place to be burglarised being a liquor store.

When Mustang had given him the case, Edward had been confused. Moore wasn't military and he wasn't an alchemist, which were the typical reasons that Edward was sent out on a man hunt. When he'd questioned Mustang, his commander had revealed that the fourth home that had been robbed belonged to a Major General Smythe, one of the newer members of the High Command, promoted to help fill the ranks left vacant by the decimation of Bradley's administration on the Promised Day. The General had pulled rank, demanding that the case be handed over to Mustang after word reached him of the fifth home having been robbed by the person responsible for his home being broken into. Mustang had then given it to Edward, much to the blond's disgust. Moore had finally been identified by an MP based on a photo taken from a hidden security camera set up in the alcohol store when it had been hit but that news hadn't stopped him from striking the general's home. Evidently, the general had raised a fuss about the incompetence of the MP when he heard that they'd known the thief's identification and hadn't caught him in time to prevent Smythe's home from being targeted, which was apparently the reason Ed and Al were now holding the case file in their hands.

He and Al had spent the day going over the case file, familiarising themselves with Moore's record and the five robberies. Today, they'd been visiting each of the crime scenes, trying to determine how Moore had gotten into each house and how he'd gotten into the store. It had quickly become apparent that something unusual was going on – the first two houses had been middle class family homes, and Moore had taken the typical sorts of items that one would expect from that sort of target – jewelry, radios, and cash. The General's house, however, had been more interesting, since General Smythe had apparently hired an alchemist to place traps all around the grounds, but Moore had somehow managed to bypass them and still robbed the house, taking much more valuable items – artwork, more expensive jewelry, and even several military medals that had belonged to members of the General's family from past generations.

Yet after hitting such a high-profile target as the General's house, Moore had gone back to hitting an easier target, another middle-class home. It had simply been pure luck that Ed and Al had been just down the street – leaving the liquor store Moore had robbed, in fact – when Moore had come tearing out of a jewelry store, a cloth bag in his hand. He and Edward had spotted each other at the same moment before Moore had taken off in the opposite direction. Edward had ordered Al to check on anyone who had been in the store, before rushing off in pursuit of Moore on a mad dash through Central to the warehouse district, where Moore had disappeared.

"Brother, you _know_ he's a Brigadier General now. I _know_ you know that because I've heard him correct you a dozen times now. You were there when Führer Grumman promoted him after the two of you got back from your adventure in America," Alphonse reminded him and Ed's response was to roll his eyes at his brother.

"I like the fact that your problem is the rank I used, not what I called him," Edward teased lightly. The familiar banter between them was a lot more enjoyable now that Al's voice didn't ring with the metallic undertone it used to.

"Besides, General Mustang won't blame us for losing him," Al continued as though he hadn't heard what his elder brother had said. "I think Moore was intentionally leading us his way so he could escape. I think he planned an escape route before he robbed that jewelry store, and his escape route required him to be in this area."

Ed thought about what his brother said and something clicked in his mind. "That's why he robbed that jewelry store! It's the closest one to this area! I thought it was weird that he didn't try robbing the one on the main street, especially since he hit the liquor store on the same street three days ago! But everyone knows that the one on the main street near Central Command is bigger and has more valuable goods. The reward for successfully robbing that one would outweigh the risks, especially since his method would mean that he could have been successful there too! I just thought he was too much of a coward to try because there're also more MPs in that area."

Al nodded in agreement. "But now we know that he has an area that he favours for his crimes. If we let the General know that, maybe we can get some help from Havoc and Breda and we can track him down and corner him."

Ed sighed and shifted his weight from his right foot to his automail. "We'd better go and report back. Might as well get it over and done with. The sooner we fill the bastard in, the sooner we can go and eat – that dick Moore interrupted us on our way to lunch."

Al rolled his eyes at his brother's complaints. Of course Ed would be more concerned about missing lunch than losing Moore. However, his brother wouldn't change topics until the bottomless pit that was his stomach was sated for the time being.

 _Crack_.

Al had only taken one step to the side on the street that would take them back to Central Command by the fastest route when the sound of a gunshot split the air and the concrete behind and to Al's right exploded as the bullet fired at him buried itself in the ground.

Ed was the first one to react. Grabbing his brother, he stepped in front of Al, shoving his brother aside and towards a pile of crates and barrels stacked against the side of a building. Following the trajectory the bullet had been travelling before it struck the concrete, he tracked it back to a second warehouse in front of and to the right of where they currently stood. He heard the sound of a gun being cocked again in the complete silence that followed the first shot and looked back to check on Al, who nodded to indicate that he was fine. Together, the two of them crouched low and hurried across the intersection to the warehouse.

They reached the door of the warehouse without another shot being fired and pressed themselves up against the wall on either side of the door. Ed checked Al over again just to make sure that the bullet hadn't hit his brother. Al seemed to be fine, so Ed moved away from the wall and lined himself up in front of the door. Shifting his weight to his right leg, he pulled back his automail leg and kicked the wooden door, his foot striking just above the knob, right over the latch. The door burst open and the two of them rushed into the building.

Immediately, they heard someone running up the stairs at least one floor above them. Gesturing for Al to follow him, they made their way across the ground level of the warehouse, checking carefully for any signs that Moore had left any traps for them. Once they reached the stairs, they eased up slowly, all of their attention on listening for the movements Moore was making above them. The second floor was empty and wide open – there was nowhere for Moore to hide, so Ed caught Al's attention and indicated that they should proceed up to the third floor.

At the top of the stairs, a wall had been built, most likely for what had been an office or a series of smaller storage rooms, and the two brothers flattened themselves on either side of the door, waiting to see if Moore would shoot at them again. He would have had to be deaf to not know they were in there, but there was no sign of a pending attack. Ed peered cautiously around the doorframe and spotted Moore standing in the middle of the room, completely in the open. On the floor next to him was a revolver – an empty one at that. So, at least that meant they didn't have to worry about being shot.

"Give up Moore," Ed ordered, gesturing for Al to follow him into the room. "You had a slight advantage with the gun, and you've lost it now." He moved forward until he was barely five meters away from where Moore was standing, Al about a meter behind him, covering Ed's back.

Moore sneered at them and they exchanged a confused glance. "You think you've caught me? I don't think you realise how wrong you are."

Ed rolled his eyes. Moore sounded like he was quoting every bad villain in the stupid crime books Al had been reading while he was bound to the armour.

"Seriously, man?" Ed sighed, getting annoyed now. He was tired from the chase, hungry, and irritated with the whole situation. He was getting sick of the fact that criminals never wanted to surrender when they had no way out. "Just give it up. You're outmatched and outclassed here. Come in quietly and you may win some points in your favour with the judge. Or don't. I really wouldn't mind putting you through the wall if you insist on fighting me. I don't like people who take cheap shots at someone else, and I especially don't like it when the person getting shot at is my brother."

Moore started cackling. Ed would never admit to it – he would swear on his very grave in fact – but the sound had him taking a step back in shock. He'd been prepared for Moore to charge him, to pull out another gun, or maybe a knife, but to _laugh_? Now he knew how the soldiers must have felt all those years ago when they'd arrested Kimblee after he killed the officers he was reporting to. According to the arrest reports, the insane alchemist had emerged from the building and simply laughed. He and Al exchanged another glance while Moore continued to laugh.

"You're angry that I took a shot at your brother? _Your_ brother?! What about _my_ brother!?" Moore's laughter began to change, seeming less sarcastic and more crazed, and angrier, until he was no longer laughing and was glaring at Edward with rage and hatred in his eyes. The look on his face surprised and unnerved Edward, but both Elrics were confused by what Moore was implying.

"You don't have a brother," Ed managed. The simple statement seemed to push Moore over the edge, and his face began turning red with all of his rage.

"We may not have been related by blood, but Thomas Harding was my brother in every other way, and you killed him! You and that bastard Flame Alchemist!"

Edward flinched violently as the man's screeched words hit him. Harding was the first and only human person Ed had killed intentionally. He didn't count the Father of the homunculi, since the homunculi were not truly human, and by the time Edward had destroyed his Stone, any trace of anything that could have given him the appearance of being human had been eliminated. While no one outside of Mustang's team, Alphonse, or Führer Grumman knew anything about their trip to a different dimension and the actual events that took place there, they _had_ been required to give some sort of report. After all, their mission had resulted in the death of a State Alchemist. However, Mustang was a clever and manipulative bastard (although Ed would never admit the clever part to Mustang's face); the senior alchemist was able to forge travel documents that showed they had chased Harding to a small, insignificant town in the West area of the country.

Aside from the location, travel, and the allies they'd made, the final battle between Edward, Mustang, and Harding had taken place exactly the same way as their report stated. They had hunted Harding down and found that he was in possession of several small Philosopher's Stones. The subsequent fight had ended with the Stone rebounding on Harding and Edward and Mustang being forced to kill him by trapping him and burning him alive. There was no mention of America, the FBI's BAU team, or the Truth in any written report, official or otherwise.

"Look Moore, he'd committed several crimes, including murdering innocent people, and he refused to come in quietly when we caught up to him. I did what I had to do to protect myself and others around me," Ed told him dully. He knew his words had that tired overtone to them, like he'd repeated them too often or even that he didn't care. Judging from the way Moore's face turned from red to purple, Moore took it to mean that Edward didn't care.

"I know what really happened! I know you didn't murder him in Amestris! I know he was in another dimension! And you and that bastard flame alchemist hunted him down and murdered him like he was some animal!" Moore was screeching so loudly he was barely understandable. Al and Ed's faces paled. Moore noticed their reaction and his enraged glare turned into a triumphant and sadistic grin. "Oh yes. I knew all about it. Tommy came to me when he found those pretty red Stones. As soon as we realised what they were and what they could do, Tommy had an idea. He told me he'd heard rumours about how the Elric brothers were able to do alchemy without arrays. He'd heard whispers and seen theories in alchemy books about an all-powerful being called Truth who guarded the Gate of Knowledge, and that an alchemist could pass through the Gate for the right price. So he read every book he could, every scrap of paper that had any sort of information about Truth and came across something interesting."

Moore's eyes were glazing over as he lost himself in his memories and Ed got a horrible urge to run as far away as possible, but his legs refused to move. He could feel Al trembling slightly behind him and he reached back blindly to grab his brother's arm. Al latched on immediately and didn't let go.

Moore continued talking. "There were theories hundreds of years ago about how Truth could grant passage to different dimensions. There were theories even more recent about traveling to another dimension with alchemy alone, but anyone who tried, well…they weren't too successful. We had the Stones and we knew what they could do. I was supposed to go with him, but Tommy said he wouldn't risk me getting hurt or killed if it went wrong somehow. I was supposed to wait a month for him to come back and get me. But you and that Flame Alchemist somehow got over there and you killed him before he could!" Moore's eyes snapped back onto Ed and the blond knew something was very wrong. Moore's eyes didn't scream unhinged anymore. Instead they looked cold and focused, as if he had a plan for his revenge, and Ed knew that he didn't want to stick around to see what it was.

"Al, we need to go," he whispered, using his grip on his brother's arm to start pushing him back. Al moved without protest, slightly pulling Ed along with him. They moved slowly so as to not attract Moore's attention to their retreat. They weren't quick enough however, when Moore suddenly knelt down and alchemic energy sparked along the ground to light up an array the two of them were standing in.

"I'll bet you didn't realise that I have a slight talent for alchemy. I wasn't anywhere near Tommy's level, and if I'm being honest a child would be able to outperform me on their best day, but you don't need to be a genius at alchemy to be able to use one of these." A glint of red drew their gaze to his hand and Edward's heart leapt into his throat as he realised what he was looking at.

A Philosopher's Stone.

When he was done with this bastard, he was going to create a world-wide array that would destroy all of those blasted Stones and completely erase any remaining traces of Father's legacy and plans. He glanced at the array he and Al were standing in as the blue light began to turn red as Moore poured the energy of the Stone into the array. He couldn't tell what it was for, and that made him more scared than anything else. If he didn't know what it did, he couldn't counter it. The array took up three-quarters of the room and they were still inside it. Ed turned around and began shoving Al towards the doorway with purpose.

"You and Mustang are going to pay for what you did to my brother, Elric! Good luck coming back from this!" The red energy blended with the blue of an active array and turned purple. The energy sparked and raced around the array while the brothers ran to get out of the center of the array, but Edward could tell by how quickly the reaction was occurring that both of them wouldn't make it out. But he could at least make sure Alphonse did. Using his momentum and all of his energy, he shoved Al hard enough to send him flying. His brother cleared the array with a heartbeat to spare, crashing into the stair railing just outside the door. Al looked back at him, shock and despair on his face.

"You take this bastard down, Al! Get him back to Mustang!" Ed ordered and the last thing he heard before everything went black was Al's desperate cry of his name. There was a moment of weightlessness before he felt like he was falling. His vision cleared just in time to see a parking lot and the surprised faces of four people just before he hit the ground with an impact that caused him to black out again.

* * *

 _U.S. Navy Yard, Washington D.C. – NCIS headquarters_

"Good morning, McGee," a woman's voice called out to him as he made his way from the elevator to his desk, coffee in one hand and his backpack containing everything he needed for his job slung over the opposite shoulder. He identified the speaker as Ziva David, once their liaison to Mossad, but now a probationary NCIS Field Agent. He returned her smile as he reached his desk.

"Morning, Ziva. You're here early today," he noted as he realised she had already settled in for the morning and – based on the papers he could see stacked in her outbox – had already made it through several reports and other pieces of paperwork. While it wasn't unusual for her to beat him and DiNozzo in, she had to have been in for at least two hours from the looks of things and that _was_ unusual.

"I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and figured I'd come in early to complete what work I can so I have the time to spare," she replied as he placed his bag on the floor next to his desk and sat down in his chair, turning on his computer as he did so.

"Doctor's appointment? Are you alright?" he asked, looking up from his task of prepping his workspace for the day.

"I'm fine. It's just a checkup for that injury I got a couple of weeks ago," she said dismissively. Secretly, however, she was pleased that McGee sounded so concerned for her health and well-being. Of course, she would never say as much to him. She had a reputation to maintain after all.

"Your shoulder injury from when you and Tony got into an accident chasing after the drugged-up Petty Officer?" McGee asked, relieved that it was nothing major. That particular crash had hospitalised both agents as well as the Petty Officer who caused the collision. Gibbs had not been impressed with the damage done to the sedan, but even McGee had been able to see how relieved he was when they got the news that Tony had regained consciousness after nearly six hours. Ziva had been discharged from the hospital after a night's stay, but Tony had been required to stay for two nights before the doctors would discharge him. Director Vance had then ordered Tony to take three more days off before returning to work, while Ziva had been assigned desk duty until her shoulder had fully healed. She'd been out of a sling since Tony came back, and hopefully today's appointment would clear her for field work. McGee was worried she'd go crazy if she had to spend another day strapped to her desk. "When is your appointment? Do you need a lift?"

Ziva gave him a nice smile at his question. Nice smiles were good from her. It meant she probably wouldn't stab him for asking.

"I'll be fine. If I can drive myself to work, I can drive myself to the doctor." She checked the clock before making a surprised noise. "Actually, I need to leave now if I want to make it there in time. Let Gibbs know I'll be back in two hours," she added as she gathered what she needed and left once McGee assured her he would relay the message. She waited for the elevator to arrive, the doors opening to reveal Tony. He gave her a confused look as he took off his sunglasses and stepped out of the elevator car so she could step in.

"Where are you headed?" he asked as he spun to keep his eyes on her.

"Doctor's appointment. I'll be back in a couple of hours," she said, pressing the button for the ground floor and giving him a reassuring smile when she spotted his concerned face before the doors slid shut. DiNozzo headed for his desk and dropped his gear in its usual spot before facing McGee.

"Is she okay?" he asked and McGee debated whether or not he should answer Tony, but the look of genuine concern on Tony's face made him tell the truth.

"She's fine. It's a check-up appointment for her shoulder, to see if she can go back into the field."

Relief swept across Tony's face for a second before he schooled is expression to resemble something less caring. "Oh, right. Forgot about that," he said casually, but McGee knew what Tony was thinking. He had been the one driving the car, and even though it was the Petty Officer who crashed into them, Tony still blamed himself for putting one of his team members in harm's way.

"She'll be fine, Tony. Remember yesterday when she threw that pencil at you because you wouldn't shut up?"

A look of only slightly exaggerated fear flicked across Tony's face as he recalled the memory and he glanced at the hole the pencil had made in the wall behind his right shoulder when it struck.

"You're right. She'll be cleared, no worries," he said, finally sitting down at his desk and starting up his computers. McGee chuckled to himself as he let the silence between them stand until Gibbs walked in an hour later.

"Where's Ziva?" was the first question the grey-haired man asked as he sat at his own desk and looked around his bullpen.

"Morning, Boss," DiNozzo was the quickest to speak up. "She's at a doctor's appointment for her shoulder check-up."

"She said she'd be back in two hours and she left about an hour ago," McGee's answer was right on the heels of Tony's. Gibbs simply nodded before taking a sip of his coffee and getting through some of his outstanding paperwork. The next hour was relatively quiet, with the exception of DiNozzo and McGee bantering or asking actual questions about details they needed to clarify for their reports. Ziva turned up ten minutes after her self-assigned deadline and headed straight for her boss.

"Cleared for field duty. Here's my doctor's note," she said as she handed the piece of paper to him. He took it with a nod and placed it to the side to file later, not even glancing at it first to make sure she was cleared. He knew Ziva knew better than to lie to him about something like that. Barely five minutes after Ziva had settled herself back at her desk, exchanging a few snide comments with DiNozzo and some civil ones with McGee, Gibbs' phone rang.

"Gibbs," he answered as he placed the handset to his ear. He noted his team pause in their work as they waited to see if it was a call out. After the person on the other end of the call finished speaking, he informed them they were on their way and hung up. "Grab your gear. Got a dead Navy Lieutenant." He'd barely gotten the first few words out before the team had moved into action and was at his side by the time he was halfway to the elevator.

They left the building and were halfway to the sedan when a flash of what looked like lightning, even though it was a clear day, drew their attention to their left. As quick as it appeared, the light disappeared and something red, black, and gold was falling from about six meters in the air above them. The object landed only a couple of meters away and it took them only a moment to realise they were looking at an unconscious person. All four of them had their guns drawn and aimed at the still figure before anyone could blink.

They studied the person for several seconds. It appeared to be a teenage boy, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years of age. He had long hair like molten gold which was pulled back into a single thick braid and secured with a tightly wrapped leather thong. He wore a long-sleeved, hooded red coat with the design of a black winged snake entwined around a black cross emblazoned on the back and thick-soled combat boots.

The boy's eyes flicked open and he moaned softly in pain before he slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees. Another moment and he was pushing himself to his feet, proving that, despite the fall he'd had, he wasn't too badly injured. He looked around, spotting the team immediately. One look at the four guns pointed at him and he immediately moved into a defensive stance, his whole body tensed to move at the slightest sign of threat.

McGee, DiNozzo, and Ziva were shocked enough at the pure golden colour of his irises that it showed visibly on their faces before they could school their expressions to neutral. Gibbs squinted slightly as he watched the boy take in his surroundings as best he could without taking those golden eyes off the NCIS team.

"Who are you? Where am I?" the boy demanded as he maintained his defensive position. The agents could see a thin trail of blood running down his neck from the back of his head. Now that he was standing up, they were able to get a better look at him. In addition to the red coat – the left sleeve of which was spotted with blood along the forearm, as well as being torn at the shoulder seam – he was wearing a plain black tank top, and a high collared black jacket with white trim which hung open except for a single metal clasp which held the collar closed at the teen's throat. He wore black leather pants and white gloves, the left one half-soaked with blood.

Despite his disheveled and injured appearance, the boy looked alert, confused, angry, and scared, though that last emotion was very well hidden unless one knew what to look for. The sound of footsteps on the asphalt behind him had the boy swinging around to face the new threat. The agents could see that the newcomer was Director Vance. They gripped their guns tighter, keeping them trained steadily on the boy who was quick to put himself between two parked cars so he could see all of them at the same time.

Vance's hands were up in the universal sign of 'I'm not a threat', but the boy didn't seem overly reassured by that.

"Who are you, and where am I?" the boy demanded again, sounding less scared and a lot angrier now.

"My name is Leon Vance. I'm the Director of NCIS. These are Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, and David. You're at NCIS headquarters, in Washington, D.C. What's your name? Why are you here?" Vance's voice remained calm and level through the introductions and explanation.

The teen's golden eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to be trying to assess whether the dark-skinned man was being truthful or not. Finally, he spoke. He had a slight accent that none of the agents could place, and which they hadn't noticed before because of their surprise and his demands. "I'm Edward. I don't…I don't know why I'm here. I shouldn't be here. None of this should have happened. I should be at home with my brother." His voice sounded so young and worried that it took them by surprise when compared to his attitude just a few minutes ago. He studied them for a moment before looked at Vance, although he was careful not to completely turn his attention away from Gibbs and his team. "Washington, D.C? That's in America, right?" he asked and the agents exchanged glances before Vance answered.

"Yes, it is. Where are you from? Maybe we can help you get home," Vance suggested and they were all admittedly startled when Edward chuckled humourlessly.

"I highly doubt that."

He sounded so sure of himself that even Gibbs looked at him worriedly. He still hadn't moved out of his defensive position, and Vance wasn't the only one to notice they were starting to draw attention from others crossing through the parking lot as they came and went from the building. The attention from the gathering crowd was making Edward even tenser, which was something none of them wanted. Vance strode over so he was standing behind Gibbs' team but facing the crowd.

"This doesn't concern you. Go back to work," he ordered, appearing unconcerned with what was going on behind him and his tone promised swift consequences to any who disobeyed him. The few people who had gathered to watch quickly scattered. Edward's body posture loosened slightly, but he still seemed apprehensive and ready to fight if need be. At least, Gibbs mused, that was one problem solved.

"Why don't you come inside with us?" Vance gestured to the building behind him as faced Edward again. "I promise nothing will happen to you. You can get cleaned up and your wounds treated, and then we can discuss your situation and what we can do to help you get home." Edward almost looked convinced, but he still looked hesitant to accept the offer. A glance between Gibbs and Vance had Gibbs lowering his gun and holstering it, followed a moment later by the rest of the agents.

The lack of immediate threat had Edward relaxing out of his defensive stance, but no one was foolish enough to think he wasn't ready to fight if he thought he needed to. It took only a few moments of silence for Edward to speak again.

"What's NCIS?"

The question prompted one of the younger agents to groan. "Really?" he asked in an exasperated tone, before the grey-haired man slapped him across the back of the head. The sound of flesh on flesh caused both Edward and an abashed DiNozzo to flinch.

"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Services. We investigate cases involving members of our country's Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, their family members, or our own agents," Vance explained as simply as he could.

Edward contemplated the answer. "So…are you like the FBI? You're on the same side as them?"

DiNozzo looked like he wanted to comment, but a quick glance from his boss had him rethinking that idea.

"More or less," Gibbs answered after a moment.

Edward's golden eyes snapped to him, his body tense and cautious again. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, and Gibbs gave him his trademark look that normally caused people to look away and apologise. The kid just glared right back at him and Gibbs was amused to notice that his team was exchanging glances of awe at the teen's lack of fear and his belligerent attitude, and fear for what might happen to him.

"It means that, unless we get into a jurisdictional pissing match, we're on the same side," Vance answered. Edward's eyes moved from Gibbs back to Vance, and Vance made himself keep his expression calm and neutral, despite the eeriness of having that golden gaze focused so intently on him. It was an eye colour none of them had ever seen before, but it wasn't just the colour. It was the intensity and the steadiness of the gaze.

"If I go in the building with you," Ed said slowly, after a few moments, "can I call someone?" The question was cautious, almost like he expected the answer to be 'No.'

"Only after you've gotten cleaned up and been checked out by a doctor," Vance negotiated. "We have someone here who can take a look at your wounds and bandage you up."

Edward considered the terms for a long moment before he eventually nodded and took a careful step forward. When none of the agents moved to stop him in any way, he moved a lot more confidently, although the way he held himself told them he was ready to bolt if they gave him any reason to.

Vance led the way into the building, while two of the agents flanked Edward and the other two flanked their director. No one spoke again until they were in the elevator.

"DiNozzo, escort Edward to the showers. McGee, find him some clean clothes and meet them there. Ziva, get Edward a visitor's badge, and then meet me in the bullpen. Leon, you'll need to assign another team to the case we were just given."

* * *

Edward watched as Vance's eyebrow rose in response to someone giving him orders, but he didn't comment. The elevator came to a stop after several more seconds and they exited out into one of the most horrifically painted rooms Edward had ever had the misfortune of being in. It was even worse than Mustang's old office at Eastern Command, where all of the furniture and the carpets had clashed with the wall colour. The orange paint on the walls in this room, however, was literally an attack on his eyes.

DiNozzo gripped his left arm to draw his attention – and luckily for Edward, it was his left arm and not his automail. Unluckily, however, he managed to grab him right where the cut Edward had noticed earlier was located and Ed couldn't stop himself from wrenching his arm out of DiNozzo's grasp with a hiss of pain.

"Sorry. Showers are this way," DiNozzo apologised, grimacing as he realised he caused the boy pain. Edward glared at him but followed him across the room to a hallway and from there to a locker room of sorts. DiNozzo made a quick sweep of the room, making sure that the showers weren't in use, before pulling a towel, washcloth, and some small bottles of shampoo and liquid soap out of a cabinet. "Showers are there. McGee will be here with some clothes for you shortly. I'll have him put them on that bench there. We'll be just outside in the hallway when you're ready. Also, I'm sorry about grabbing your arm a minute ago. I didn't realise you were hurt."

Edward looked at him for a long moment but could only find sincerity in the older man's expression. "Don't worry about it," he grunted. "I've had worse." That did not seem to reassure the agent if the look on his face was any indication, but Ed deliberately turned his back on him before he could ask any questions. DiNozzo took the hint and Edward heard him leave the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Edward stripped himself bare and turned the water on in one of the stalls. He fiddled with the temperature until it was perfect before drawing the curtain closed so he had some privacy. He rinsed himself off before using the bottle of soap and the washcloth to actually clean himself properly.

The outside door opened and Edward paused, readying his hands to clap if he had to. He didn't want to attack the agents, but he would defend himself if he was forced to. He was coiled with tension and relaxed only when a voice called his name.

"Edward? I have some clothes for you. Is it okay if I come in and put them on the bench?"

Ed liked that he'd asked permission instead of just barging in like some military officers were prone to doing. He still hadn't forgotten the time after he and Ling had escaped from Gluttony's fake portal of Truth when Envy had barged into the bathroom when Ed was about to get dressed.

"Yeah, thanks Agent McGee," he said as he listened carefully to the man's footsteps. He heard something being dropped onto the bench before McGee spoke again.

"It's not a problem. Just let us know when you're done."

Edward gave an agreeing hum as he listened to the man leave and sighed when the door shut once more. Only once he was alone did he allow himself to think about the situation he was in. He was back in America, only this time he was in a completely new city and surrounded by completely new people. His instincts screamed at him to run, to try and find the BAU, whom he at least partially trusted after his previous interdimensional adventure, but at the same time, his gut was telling him he could trust these five as well. The more worrying part was that he was completely alone and had absolutely no way back to Amestris unless he used an array to get to Truth's domain, and there was no way of knowing what that formless bastard would demand as payment.

Ed shook his head. No, going to Truth was an absolute last resort. He hoped the fact that Al hadn't appeared with him meant that his little brother was safe and he'd taken down Moore. If he knew Al, that was exactly what his brother had done, and by now he would have contacted Mustang and Hawkeye and they would be trying to figure out how this whole mess happened. Mustang and Al were his best hope for getting home.

He shook his head again. Thinking about Amestris wasn't helping him right now, so instead he focused on his body, specifically his injuries. The cut to his left arm was long and jagged, but not deep, so he didn't need stitches. He had a fair collection of sore places from the chase with Moore, where he'd had to keep diving to the pavement in order to avoid the bastard's bullets, and he knew that by morning he'd have a spectacular array of bruising to show for it. From the feel of the gash on the back of his head and his lack of nausea or dizziness, the head wound was nothing major and he didn't have a concussion.

He finished washing his hair before he shut the water off and grabbed the towel from where he'd left it hanging on a hook outside the curtain. Quickly drying himself off, he pressed the towel to his arm and was pleased to see that the wound didn't begin bleeding again when he took it away. He dressed himself in his boxers before looking at the clothes McGee had found for him. There was a pair of navy pants in thick, soft cotton with a drawstring waist, as well as a grey, long-sleeved shirt made of the same material with the letters NCIS across the front. He changed quickly, pleased to find that the clothes fit him well enough. The pants were a little long and he had to tighten the drawstring, while the shirt was maybe a size or two too large, but he was clean and warm. Even better, his automail was completely covered, except for the foot (which he remedied by shoving his feet into his boots), and his hand.

He rubbed his hair dry vigorously before finger combing it and braiding it again. He picked up his gloves and slipped the right one on to cover his automail before looking at the bloody, filthy mess that was his left one. Placing it on the bench, Ed took a deep, semi-nervous breath. One of the things that had occurred to him was that he might not have alchemy anymore. When he'd turned up in America the first time, Truth had said he'd still have it, and the energy around him now _did_ feel like a weaker version of the energy back home, but that didn't guarantee that he could still use it to transmute. He'd never been certain, after all, that Truth hadn't been the reason he and Mustang could transmute last time they were in America.

Letting out his breath, he took another deep one and envisioned his cleansing array. Clapping his hands, he heard the unique and familiar ring his clap made and pressed a hand to his glove. The only time he'd ever been more relieved to see the familiar blue crackle of energy had been when they'd fought Father on the Promised Day and the bearded bastard hadn't shut off their ability to transmute. A second later, he put on his now clean, repaired glove and gathered the rest of his filthy clothing up. He poked around the cabinet DiNozzo had been in before and found a bag big enough for his stuff before he opened the door, startling the agents who were standing outside.

"You look better," DiNozzo commented, giving Ed a cocky, friendly grin. Ed was surprised to feel himself smiling back. "Let's get you down to see Ducky so he can check you out."

Ed followed McGee and DiNozzo towards a different elevator. "Who?" he asked.

"Doctor Mallard," McGee explained. "He's technically the coroner, but he's also a licensed doctor and it will be faster and easier for him to take a look at you than for us to take you to a hospital or an outpatient clinic. Gibbs and Ducky are close friends, so Gibbs trusts his judgment."

Ed simply grunted an acknowledgment. Gibbs reminded him in some ways of Lieutenant General Armstrong – someone whom you had to work hard to gain their respect, let alone friendship – so if this Ducky had it, then Ed figured he would probably be better off seeing him than not, even if none of his injuries were all that bad.

A few moments later they were stepping out of the elevator into a white tiled hallway. McGee and DiNozzo moved to the first door on their left, which slid open as they approached to reveal a large, white tiled room with three steel tables set up in the middle of it. There were six steel doors set along the far wall, and after a moment Ed realised they would open to the refrigerated compartments that stored any corpses Doctor Mallard was working on until the investigation had progressed enough that they could release the bodies for burial. A large steel wash basin was along another wall, various articles of protective gear were hung on hooks, and Doctor Mallard's autopsy tools were neatly laid out on a wheeled metal tray near the middle slab. A set of doors probably led to a storage cabinet, and there were some glass-door refrigerators that held vials and jars full of various chemicals.

A wooden desk and a comfortable, wheeled chair were tucked into the corner behind where Ed was standing, and there was a backless, wheeled stool tucked under the counter next to the wash basins. As Ed looked around, the elevator behind him dinged and Ed spun at the noise, beginning to slip into his fighting stance. He relaxed slightly when he saw Agent Gibbs, Agent David, and a kind-eyed, elderly man who accompanied them. Director Vance, however, wasn't with them.

"Hello there. I'm Doctor Mallard, but you can call me Ducky. You must be Edward."

Edward startled a little bit at the sound of his voice. It was soft and gentle, but it didn't sound like anyone else that he'd met in America so far, although he was quick to realise why. This man must have come from another country and had an accent. "Yes, I'm Edward," he finally said, not wanting to be rude.

Ducky nodded and moved over to one of the steel tables, patting it as a gesture for Ed to hop up on it as he reached for a pair of sterile gloves. "Yes, Gibbs was just telling me about how you arrived. I'll admit that I'm curious. I've seen and heard of many strange things in my time, but I've never heard of someone arriving quite the way you did. Now, where are you injured?"

"Left arm. It's just a scratch, won't require stitches. Back of my head, but it doesn't feel too bad. I've been hit harder in the past and I know the procedure for a suspected concussion," Ed told him curtly as he took a seat on the table. The elderly man looked both surprised at his own assessment and understanding about his tone. The rest of the team, however, seemed more offended than Ducky did. Edward didn't know why, but he felt compelled to explain. "I don't like doctors. The only reason I haven't left if because I agreed to this. You're just lucky that Director didn't try to get me to agree to go to a hospital."

The team looked slightly less scandalized with his explanation. Doctor Mallard's expression softened into one that told Ed that the older man wasn't judging him for his opinions.

"It's okay, Edward. I understand completely. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't have a group of people they didn't like to be around. May I see your arm please?"

Edward pulled up his sleeve and showed the doctor the cut. It ran from just above his elbow and stopped about a third of the way down his forearm. Ducky took Edward's arm and prodded the cut carefully, studying it for a moment. None of the agents' expressions gave anything away, but Edward could tell from the look in their eyes that they thought the cut was pretty bad. Ducky, however, clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and picked up some gauze and a tube of something that Ed was willing to bet was disinfectant. "You're right. This doesn't need stitches, but I'll clean it out and wrap it up for you. This will sting," he warned.

Ed barely flinched. After having dual automail surgery at the age of eleven, his pain tolerance was high enough that anything less than having his nerves reconnected whenever Winry had to change his automail barely registered as pain. Once Ducky had placed the clean gauze over the cut and wrapped it with the bandaging, Ed pulled his sleeve back down.

"Now, Edward, if you could just take a seat on my stool here," Ducky pulled the seat out and pushed it over towards the table, "I'll take a look at your head wound." Edward did as he was told, tensing only a little as Ducky moved behind him. As a rule, he didn't like people to stand directly behind him, but Ducky moved slowly, and hadn't done anything for Edward to consider him a threat, so he was able to tolerate the doctor's presence.

"What happened to you?" Gibbs asked.

Edward considered him for a moment before he answered. "I was in pursuit of someone who was wanted in connection to some burglary and breaking and entering charges," he finally said. "He shot at me and I dodged. I must've cut myself on something when I hit the ground. I hit my head on the ground when I landed in your car park." Gibbs was the only one who didn't look surprised by his explanation, although Edward was fairly certain that he was hiding his thoughts behind the sort of professional mask Mustang used when dealing with higher-ups he didn't like.

"So you're a cop? You barely look old enough to be out of school, let alone on the force!" DiNozzo exclaimed and Edward glared at him.

"I'm seventeen, and I'm not a cop. I'm military," he snapped defensively. DiNozzo looked shocked, although whether by Edward's answer or his tone, Ed wasn't sure.

"Which branch of the military?" Gibbs asked, his voice still calm, but curious.

Ed's eyes slid back over to him. "None of yours."

Gibbs didn't comment on the teen's lack of an answer, but he did narrow his eyes as he studied the young man in front of him while the teen was being distracted by Ducky's soft questions about his vision and pain levels. The teen was good at evading questions he didn't want to answer, yet he was defensive about his age when DiNozzo questioned him. Somehow, Gibbs had the feeling that he hadn't actually meant to let the comment about being in the military slip. He pulled himself out of his thoughts just as Ducky finished giving Edward medical instructions the kid looked like he'd heard a dozen times before.

"Thanks, Ducky. Let's go," Gibbs said as he left the morgue and headed for the elevator, trusting that the rest of his team was close behind him. He pressed the button for the main level where the conference room was and allowed the others to precede him inside. Once they reached the upper levels, he led them down the corridor to the conference room, allowing Edward to go in first to get his bearings. Ziva and Tony followed him in, but Gibbs stopped McGee before he could. "Go get Vance," he ordered and McGee nodded before heading to the director's office as Gibbs entered the conference room.

"I wanna make that phone call now," Ed said once he'd given the place a once over. Gibbs saw Ziva and Tony exchange a look and glance his way. He nodded and gestured to the phone sitting on the table. Edward reached for it hesitantly, like he expected it to be a trap.

"You need to dial '9' first, for the call to go to anyone outside of this building," DiNozzo said and Edward nodded in thanks. He followed the instructions before dialing a number he had committed to memory the first time he had ended up in America. There were three rings before a chirpy voice on the other end answered.

" _This is FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia speaking. How may I help you?"_

Ed let out a breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding. "Miss Garcia? It's me, Edward."

 **A/N - So what did ya'll think? Isn't it amazing?! Many thanks to the wonderful PhoenixQueen who busted her arse off to revise this story for me as a Christmas present and I think she did an exceptional job! At this moment, I will only be posting a new revised chapter once a week, following the latest chapter of 'Spirit Animals' however if I can get the remaining chapters switched back from Americanised spelling (seriously, the letter 'u' is not a bad letter!) to Australian spelling by next week, I'll likely end up posting all the chapters up at once so you won't have to wait long for the whole story XD see you next week!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

 _Behavioural Analysis Unit, FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia…_

Penelope Garcia's day had started out how it normally did. She woke up, had her morning shower and breakfast, got ready for work, made herself a cup of coffee in her travel mug, and headed in to work. By the time she reached the office she had finished her first coffee, so she stopped by the small kitchen near her team's bullpen to grab a second one. It also gave her an opportunity to greet whichever members of her team were in as early as she was.

Hotch and Rossi were always in this early, but this morning she was also greeted by Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan. JJ was nowhere to be seen, but Garcia could see new files sitting in everyone's inboxes, so she knew her fellow blonde was around here somewhere, likely holed up in her own office down the hall. She picked up her coffee, and after saying good morning to everyone and exchanging some playfully flirty comments with Morgan, she headed for her small slice of technological heaven.

She placed her purse and coffee cup in their normal spots and turned on her babies so that they would be ready for anything she asked of them today. While she primarily worked with Hotch and his team, she was occasionally asked by other BAU teams for some help running information, checking cameras, and crunching data, so she started as she always did – she checked her email and phone messages and found a couple of small requests. Cracking her knuckles, she settled into her chair and started working on them. Her team was benched for the next three days so they could catch up on some severely overdue paperwork, much to Morgan's displeasure. Chief Strauss had assured them that if they were desperately needed, they would be called in, but she had also reminded them that they weren't the only field team in the BAU.

Morgan still complained about the paperwork.

She worked steadily for the next couple of hours, only leaving her little world for coffee or bathroom breaks. Every now and then, someone walked into her office to ask her something or to see what she was up to. She made a point of calling out her team members on avoiding their paperwork when they came in. Of course they didn't deny it and only lingered for a few minutes before deciding to get back to it. After all, the sooner they got their work caught up, the sooner they would be cleared to go back into the field.

Garcia called people back with the information they had requested, and once she'd had finished with all the tasks she'd been asked to do, she decided to tidy and rearrange her office. She took all of her photos and little decorative trinkets down and cleaned her desk off before putting everything back. She laughed a little as she looked at each photo before putting them back up. She had photos of her with her team, a photo of her with her parents taken a month before they died, photos of old friends and photos of new friends she didn't get to see often due to the crazy hours she worked whenever her team was in the field. She'd just finished tidying everything up when her office phone rang. She glanced quickly at the caller ID as she slipped her wireless headset into her ear, but there was no name and she didn't recognise the number.

"This is FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia speaking. How may I help you?" While she rarely answered with the appropriate greeting, in this case she didn't know the number. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself if the caller turned out to be a big boss or someone else important. It had been embarrassing enough when she'd answered a call from Chief Strauss with a less than appropriate greeting. She'd been certain that she would lose her job as a result, but somehow she'd avoided being censured or disciplined for it. Garcia did _not_ want a repeat of that incident.

" _Miss Garcia?"_ Her breath hitched slightly because there was no way that distinctively accented, young male voice belonged to who she thought it did. _"It's me, Edward."_

Apparently it did.

"Holy shit. Edward Elric?" She wasn't normally one to swear but she believed that she could be forgiven for it this one time.

" _Yeah. Surprise,"_ he said dryly and Garcia couldn't stop her chuckle, right before he mother hen tendencies came to the fore.

"How come you're back? What happened? Where are you? Are you okay?" she asked, rapid fire, all sorts of scenarios starting to play through her head.

" _Whoa, Miss Garcia. I'm okay, I swear,"_ he said quickly. _"I'm with some federal agents from…NCIS, I think, in Washington, D.C. It's a long story, and I'm not sure of all the details myself, but I kind of ended up in their car park. Probably worse places to turn up in, I guess,"_ he added with amusement and Garcia had to laugh at that.

"As long as you're okay. You said NCIS in Washington has you?" she asked, quickly opening up a group chat to all of her team via their inner-office instant messaging program and asking them to get to her office as soon as possible.

" _Yeah. An Agent Gibbs and his team found me. So did their director."_

Ed couldn't believe how relieved he felt to hear Garcia's voice. Part of him had been afraid that she wouldn't answer the phone or wouldn't remember him. He was watching Agent Gibbs and his team, just as Director Vance and McGee entered the room together. All of the agents were listening to his side of the conversation with various levels of interest, suspicion, and confusion.

" _Okay. I know I want to see you, and I'll bet you a large pepperoni pizza that the rest of my team does as well. I've dealt with NCIS a couple of times. They have a secure communications room called MTAC. Do you think you can put one of the agents on the phone? Or the director, if he's there?_ "

"Uh, yeah. Hold on a second, I'll put the director on." He handed the phone towards Vance, who stepped forward to take it from him. Edward tensed again as the taller man approached but forced himself not to flinch away as he handed the handset over. Given his history, however, he couldn't stop himself from taking a large step out of the man's reach once the phone was in his grasp.

Garcia quickly checked her references of the different federal agencies, wanting to confirm the name of the current NCIS director so she could greet him by name. She was assuming that a teenager appearing from literally out of nowhere would intrigue the hell out of anyone, especially directors of federal agencies. Also, if she were the director of a federal agency, she knew she'd want to keep said teenager in her sight at all times.

She heard the sound of Ed's breathing fade slightly as he moved the handset away from his face, presumably offering it to someone, just as the door to her office opened and the rest of her team hurried in, expressions of concern and curiosity on their faces.

"Garcia?" Hotch asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Edward," she hissed, listening carefully to make sure that she didn't miss the NCIS director joining the conversation. "He's back, and he's somehow in D.C." It only took her team a moment to realise who she was talking about, and she saw the same looks of delight and concern on their faces as she was feeling. They had assumed that after Edward and Colonel Mustang had left the last time that they would never see the two alchemists again.

" _This is Director Vance. Whom am I speaking with?"_

* * *

Director Vance's morning had been hectic. It had been his turn to drop his children off at school, and they had been running late because his son hadn't been able to find his homework. They'd been halfway to the school when his daughter had realised that she had forgotten her lunch. Rather than turn around in the middle of DC traffic at that time of the morning, Vance had stopped at the first bakery he saw and bought her some lunch. His son started sulking because Vance hadn't bought him anything, but Vance pointed out that if he had forgotten his lunch, he'd have been bought something too. That had immediately been followed up by a stern warning to not forget his lunch on purpose, which had only caused his boy to sulk more.

He'd finally arrived at the office, an hour later than normal, and started in on his paperwork and meetings for the day. Three hours later, his wife had called. Their daughter was sick, something about the sandwich he'd bought that morning causing mild food poisoning, and the school had wanted to send her home. His wife had been about to go and get her, but her car wouldn't start. So, Vance had told her to call AAA to have the battery checked while he went to pick up his daughter at school.

By the time he'd gotten home, the mechanic had arrived, so Jackie took their daughter inside to put her to bed while he spoke to the mechanic. One new battery later, he'd said goodbye to his wife and daughter and headed back to work, only to pull into his reserved spot in the parking lot in time to witness a teenager fall from the sky. He had patted himself on the back over how quickly it took him to pull himself together and walk over to see what the situation was.

Once the situation was diffused enough for the boy, Edward, to agree to come into the building to get cleaned up and his wounds checked over by Doctor Mallard, Vance headed back up to his office with orders for Gibbs to come and get him once the boy was ready to talk to them. He'd reassigned the investigation into the death of Lieutenant Jameson to another team, and instructed his secretary, Maria, to permit Gibbs or any of his team in without delay. It took half an hour for McGee to come and fetch him, and now the boy was handing him the phone.

"This is Director Vance. Whom am I speaking with?" Vance noted the way Edward moved himself out of arm's reach the moment he took the handset. The teen seemed twitchy and the move felt like a defensive one, which made him wonder what had happened to this boy to make him act that way.

" _My name is Penelope Garcia. I'm a Technical Analyst for the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI, based out of Quantico. I'd like to set up a video call to MTAC so my team and I can see and talk to Edward."_

The woman on the other end of the line didn't beat around the bush, and Vance could respect that. Her voice was tight, like she couldn't believe who she was talking to, and he would be the first person to admit that he was curious as to why.

"I believe MTAC is currently available. DiNozzo?" Vance looked up at the man who was already grabbing for the second landline in the room.

"Calling MTAC to confirm, sir," he said as he dialed and waited for a response from one of the technicians assigned to monitor the room.

Vance redirected his attention to his own conversation. "May I ask why a video call is necessary?" He heard Agent Garcia talking quietly to someone else before a man answered him.

" _This is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. We'd appreciate the video call so that we can identify that the person you have is indeed Edward. Once we've confirmed that he's there, we'll be happy to explain why it's necessary."_

The only reason that Vance didn't groan at the lack of an answer was his years of dealing with politicians and various other…difficult…people. "Very well." He glanced at DiNozzo, who gave him thumbs up. "Miss Garcia? I assume you know how to call through to MTAC?"

" _Yes, I do,"_ she confirmed.

"Good. Go ahead and call through once we hang up here, and we'll be in the room momentarily," he instructed, before hanging up the phone. Edward was watching him silently, though Vance could tell by the way he was positioned that he was still keeping everyone in his peripheral vision. Vance didn't say anything further, just nodded to Gibbs before heading for the door. Gibbs and his team followed him, and after a moment's hesitation, so did Edward.

* * *

The walk to MTAC was quiet, though that was more because of the fact that Edward was taking the chance to observe everything and create a map of this building in his mind, just in case he ended up having to make a quick escape. He didn't want to question the agents about some of the things he was seeing, even though he was curious. At the moment, he was more interested in talking to Hotch and the others.

It wasn't until they had gone up the stairs and Vance paused in front of a silver door, bending down slightly to bring himself eye level with a machine that sent a blue light into his eye that he spoke up.

"What's that?" he asked McGee, who was standing closest to him. McGee looked at the device and then back at Edward with a slightly confused look, almost like he wasn't sure if Edward was joking or not.

"It's a retinal scanner. It scans special retinal patterns in your eye and permits entry to MTAC if the pattern it scans matches one of the authorised ones loaded into its system," McGee answered, watching as Ed's expression shifted to one of intense interest. He almost believed the kid would have pulled the scanner apart to see how it worked if he could've, but the door made a beep to tell them that access was granted, and the latch _clicked_ back.

Vance pushed the door open, the rest of them trailing behind, Ed entering with a lot more interest before he openly gaped at the massive screen in front of him. They gathered in front of the screen, with Edward directly in the middle, and everyone else a few steps behind him. Vance nodded at the technicians to put the call through and Ed gasped as the screen changed to show him the entire BAU team, all crowded together in a small office behind Garcia. Edward could see the shock and, to his surprise, happiness on each of their faces, although some were more obvious about showing it than others.

"Surprise?" Ed asked as he stepped forward a bit, grinning at their expressions. He had been surprised at how much emotion hearing Garcia's voice had dredged up, but he was even more surprised by the amount of joy he felt at actually seeing them. Their surprised silence at seeing him was broken by his question and suddenly all seven of them were trying to ask him different questions at once before Hotch managed to get them to be quiet.

" _Edward, what happened?"_ Hotch asked, cutting to the chase. " _From what we understood the last time we saw you and Colonel Mustang; you wouldn't be able to come back. At least, that was what you told us."_

Ed started to speak before abruptly remembering that he had an audience behind him. "Maybe we should do some introductions and some explanations about how we met first or this won't make any sense to them," he said, jabbing his left thumb over his shoulder.

" _That's probably a good idea,"_ Hotch agreed.

Ed turned to face the NCIS team before he glanced at the two technicians sitting at the desk to their side, wondering whether or not it would be rude to ask them to leave. His story was not one he needed to have spread around the building. Vance made up his mind for him.

"If you would give us the room?" he asked politely, yet firmly, leaving no room for argument. The pair of technicians nodded and rose from their seats, leaving the room without another word. Edward watched them leave, waiting for the door to lock closed before he turned back to everyone, waiting expectantly.

Gibbs was the first one to realise that the kid was waiting for them to introduce themselves. "I'm Agent Gibbs. This is Agent Tony DiNozzo, Agent Timothy McGee, Agent Ziva David, and Director Leon Vance." Each of them nodded as their name was mentioned.

" _I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner. This is SSA David Rossi, SSA Derek Morgan, SSA Emily Prentiss, SSA Jennifer Jareau, Doctor Spencer Reid, and Miss Penelope Garcia,"_ Hotch introduced his team. " _As you've probably already gathered, we know Edward from a previous encounter. About two and a half months ago, the NYPD was investigating a series of murders where the victims died from having their blood boiled."_

Several of the NCIS agents had a disgusted and squeamish look on their face at the thought. Edward didn't blame them. Anyone not used to the effects that alchemy could have on a human body…well, it took its toll the first few times it was witnessed.

" _Nearly four weeks after the first body was found, they had another three bodies killed with the same M.O, bringing the total victim count to four. The police had no leads, no suspects, and the timeline between each victim was shortening. The M.E. was stumped by how the killer was managing to kill in such a way, so the police decided to call us in,"_ Hotch told them. _"When we arrived, we headed for the most recent crime scene in Central Park to see the scene for ourselves and meet with the lead detectives. While we were discussing our first move, there was a flash of light and the next thing we knew there were two strangers lying on the ground next to us."_

"That sounds familiar," Gibbs commented.

"Yeah, except my trip this time was a lot rougher than it was the last time," Edward muttered. "Fucking Moore…"

" _Edward?"_ Hotch asked.

"Nothing, Hotch," Edward said with a weak attempt at his normally cocky grin. "I'll explain in a few minutes."

Hotch nodded and continued, " _Edward was the first one to regain consciousness. We had all drawn our guns when they appeared, but he remained calm and seemed more concerned about checking on his companion, whom we later learned was his commanding officer, Colonel Roy Mustang. Once Colonel Mustang regained consciousness, they explained to us that they had come to apprehend a rogue member of their military. We found it suspicious that they would turn up like they did, and so close to our most recent crime scene, so we decided to keep them close and brought them back to the local police precinct to find out what they knew about the crimes we were there to investigate."_ Hotch paused for a moment before studying Edward. _"Maybe it would be best if you took the story from here, Ed."_

Edward sighed, but nodded. "Sure. Like Hotch said, Mustang and I turned up in a flash of light, like I did this morning, but my landing was a lot harsher this time." He paused to study the agents' faces and wondered how badly they would react to the next part of what he was going to say. But the only way to find out was to bite the bullet. "I guess the most important thing for you to know is that I'm not from around here. And by around here, I mean this dimension. I live in a country called Amestris, in the capital city, Central, where I work for the military as the most competent State Alchemist they've ever had."

Complete silence followed his explanation. While Gibbs and Vance were able to keep their faces relatively neutral (although Ed could tell they were more shocked than they were pretending to be), the three younger agents weren't quite as successful. Ziva looked torn between believing that Ed was pulling her leg and being concerned for his sanity. DiNozzo and McGee, on the other hand, were doing rather impressive imitations of fish.

Ed continued talking as though he hadn't noticed their stunned disbelief. "Anyway, like Hotch said, there was a serial killer loose in New York. Mustang and I were sent to this dimension by Truth to hunt down a rogue State Alchemist named Thomas Harding, the Boiling Alchemist, who'd managed to dimension-hop over here without going through Truth, which is kind of impossible unless you have an exceptionally rare object. So, Harding was a State Alchemist whose alchemic specialty allowed him to boil any sort of liquid instantly and then manipulate it. Once we heard about how the victims the BAU was tracking had been killed, Mustang and I were positive that Harding was the one behind it. Since Harding was an alchemist – and a military one at that – and this dimension knows nothing about alchemy or how to handle a rogue alchemist, Mustang and I offered our help in hunting down and capturing Harding. Using some absolutely brilliant alchemy, I managed-"

"I'm sorry, but is no one going to say _anything_ about how absolutely insane this is?" DiNozzo interrupted, his tone incredulous. He stared at everyone with wide eyes. "I mean, come on! A separate dimension? And what the hell is alchemy? Just…what the actual fuck, man?" He finished his outburst, his tone changing from incredulous to pleading near the end. He braced himself for a patented Gibbs' Head slap, but surprisingly, Gibbs didn't head slap him, reprimand him, or even unleash that famous Gibbs' glare on him. Vance didn't look at him disapprovingly or judgmental like he sometimes did, and his other teammates didn't comment either. The BAU agents looked bemused and sympathetic all at once, and Edward, well…

For some reason, Edward gazed at him with golden eyes filled with amusement and even…approval?

"Okay, so your first question: Yes, a separate dimension. Don't ask me to explain how it all works; I didn't know separate dimensions even existed until almost three months ago. Your second one: Alchemy. In short, alchemy is a science. It's the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. In other words, taking one thing and turning into something else by understanding the elements that it is made out of." Edward paused again before facing the screen with the BAU team on it, a slightly worried look on his face. "Was that explanation enough or should I be more detailed?"

" _No, I think they understand the basics of what you're saying,"_ Rossi said, pointedly looking at the NCIS agents behind Ed.

"You're talking about magic," DiNozzo said and only several years of being exposed to Gibbs' glares stopped him from flinching under Ed's glare, though it was a close thing. One of the BAU agents on the screen started chuckling.

"No – Morgan, stop laughing – alchemy is _not_ magic. It's a science," Ed corrected firmly, glaring at Morgan, who promptly got punched in the shoulder by Garcia, only to give her an exasperatedly betrayed expression. "Thanks, Miss Garcia," Ed said, sending her a blindingly sunny smile that made him look younger than his years before he turned back to the NCIS agents.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Tony," Ziva admitted, looking mildly horrified at her own words. Tony gave her a wounded look that would've been funny if Ed wasn't so annoyed with the whole situation. His head hurt (although to be fair, that wasn't an overly unusual thing for him), and these people looked like they were two minutes from having him committed to an asylum. Gibbs and Vance were still unreadable and Ed was kind of impressed by their stoicism.

" _I believe a demonstration might help you out in getting them to believe you,"_ Hotch pointed out dryly.

Ed nodded in agreement, but when he looked around the room, he couldn't find anything he was comfortable transmuting. Well, he could transmute anything in the room – it was just transmuting it back that was the issue. He didn't even know what half of this stuff was, let alone how to transmute it back to its original state and working order. He looked around again, and his eyes fell on the bag at his feet and he scowled as he realised he hadn't thought of the obvious sooner. He pulled the bag open and grabbed his red coat (which was awesome, no matter what Mustang said on the matter) and shook it out before laying it on the floor in front of him, studying the damage. Both sleeves were torn and the left one was stained with his blood. The entire thing was filthy and Ed spotted minor tears and holes that he would need to repair.

"Okay. I'm gonna fix this. Watch," he said as he clapped his hands together. The NCIS agents flinched at the sound of the ringing clap, but he ignored them as he placed his hands on the fabric of his coat and letting the array do its work. The familiar blue light lit up the dim room momentarily before Ed released the array, letting the crackling energy dissipate and leaving his coat looking as good as the day he'd first transmuted it. He let out a pleased noise as he picked it up, shook it off, and put it on over his borrowed clothes before looking up at the stunned agents. Even Vance and Gibbs looked shocked. "So, that was alchemy – a basic matter deconstruction and reconstruction."

" _That was a lot less impressive than the alchemy you did for us to prove you weren't insane,"_ Morgan commented casually, causing the NCIS agents to look up at them on the screen.

"How was that not impressive?" McGee spoke for the first time since they'd begun the conversation. He was staring at Edward like his skin had turned purple or something.

A tug on the sleeve of his coat had Edward spinning sharply and backing out of the grip of DiNozzo, who was looking at his coat with avid fascination, hand still stretched like he wanted to touch it again.

"Don't touch me," Ed warned the agent as he stepped out of arms' reach, unconsciously slipping into a defensive stance for a moment before he forced himself to relax.

" _I didn't say it wasn't impressive. It's just less impressive than what we've seen you and Colonel Mustang do before,"_ Morgan corrected Edward.

"Morgan, most of the shit you saw me do was for tracking Harding or in the middle of a fight. There's a little bit of a difference," Ed retorted, rolling his eyes.

" _That dagger you made had nothing to do with either,"_ Morgan countered and Ed had to give him that one – although he scowled when he realised that he didn't have an argument to oppose the agent.

"True, but it's not like I had a lot of options here! Not unless I wanted to destroy the room or something that Miss Gracia would probably cry over," Edward defended as he gestured to all of the technology around him. "Besides, my coat needed to be fixed. Two birds, one stone." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Gibbs was watching him closely and if Ed wasn't used to having someone watching him all the time (though the homunculi had been far less obvious about it) he would have been creeped out. He scowled at the older agent. "Can I help you with something?"

Gibbs considered him for another moment before answering. "So you say you're from another dimension, that you have this ability to do alchemy, and this isn't the first time you've been here in America. The first time was a few months ago when you and your commanding officer were sent here to hunt down a fellow alchemist and you met these agents. I'm assuming you were successful in catching the alchemist you were sent here for."

Edward nodded slowly in agreement, not sure where this was going.

"So why are you here now? Is there another rogue alchemist that we should be worried about?"

Ed was shaking his head before Gibbs finished asking the second question. "No. My, uh, trip? Yeah, let's go with that – my trip here this time wasn't the same as the first one. Truth didn't send me here this time." At the looks of confusion on the NCIS agents' faces, Edward sighed. "Truth is basically an alchemy god – or, at least that's the most… _polite_ …description I have for it. In reality, it's kind of a dick and has taken a special interest in screwing me over whenever it can."

"Alchemy god? _Great."_ Ed was kind of impressed with the level of sarcasm DiNozzo had managed to fit into that one word.

" _Hey Ed."_

Ed's attention was brought back to the FBI agents by JJ's voice. " _Reid, Garcia and I are going to head over to Washington in a few minutes so we can catch up with you properly."_ She paused at the flicker of hurt hat flashed across Ed's face before he could stop it. " _The others have paperwork they need to catch up on, which is why they're going to work extra hard today to get it all done so they can come over later tonight."_

The last part was accompanied by a pointed glare at the rest of her team and caused some inaudible mutterings (Morgan), nods of agreement (Hotch and Rossi), and a slightly sheepish smile (Prentiss). JJ held them in her glare for a moment longer, just to make sure her point stuck, before she turned back to look at Edward, a soft smile in place. " _But, before we leave, why don't you tell us what happened so you don't have to repeat it over and over again?"_

"Yeah okay." Ed tried to hide how pleased he was that they would be seeing each other in person shortly, but the looks the agents were giving him indicated that he wasn't as successful as he'd hoped. "So Al and I – oh, yeah, Al's my little brother. I don't know if I mentioned it the last time we saw each other, but he was in the hospital recovering from a long illness. He's recovered and his doctor has cleared him to help me out with my missions again."

" _You did mention that,"_ Reid said. " _That's good to hear – that Al's doing better."_

Ed gave Reid a smile, pleased with how genuine the young doctor's words were before he did as JJ asked. "Anyway, Mustang had assigned us a mission to find and arrest this known low-level criminal named Jarrod Moore. He had a record for muggings, pick-pocketing – small crimes like that. He'd been arrested a few times in the past six years and had served some brief prison time here and there, but he'd suddenly escalated to home burglaries and business robberies. We weren't expecting any trouble from him because according to all the crime reports, he only had a six-chamber revolver. We had been taking a look at a liquor store he robbed two days ago, trying to get an idea of how he'd pulled the theft off and were on our way to lunch when we literally ran into him just as he came out of a jewelry store he'd robbed. He recognised me and bolted, so we chased him through Central and into the warehouse district, but we lost him. We were about to leave and report back to Mustang when he took a shot at Al and we-"

Ed abruptly stopped, a look of intense concentration on his face before he turned suddenly to his right and gazed at the door as if he was looking beyond it. Every agent went on alert.

" _Ed? What is it?_ " Hotch asked, all business. Everyone was tense while they waited for Ed to answer.

"There's a massive surge in alchemic energy nearby. Like, so big that I'd have been able to sense it in Amestris," he answered, sounding confused and on edge. He clapped his hands suddenly before spreading them wide, and the NCIS team took a quick step away from him as they saw his golden eyes glowing electric blue.

Thirty seconds later, Ed cut off his tracking array with a gasp. The fatigue he experienced was less than he had expected, but a great deal more than it would've been had he been in Amestris. But the results from the array were nothing he had expected. "There is a huge collection of alchemic energy outside in the parking lot," Ed explained to the anxious agents after he caught his breath.

"What's that mean?" DiNozzo demanded as his hand twitched towards his weapon. Ziva put a hand over his to stop him from drawing it. Ed folded his arms across his chest, bracing his chin in his hand while his left elbow rested on his automail. His lips moved soundlessly as he thought of and systematically eliminated all possible causes before he gasped as he realised what was happening.

"Portal! There's a portal opening up!"

He turned for the door and started for it, determined to get out there, but a strong grip latched onto his left arm, stopping him in his tracks and nearly yanking him off balance. He growled as he wrenched himself out of Gibbs' grip before leveling the agent with a glare. "Don't touch me! What do you want?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Gibbs asked calmly, not even twitching at the amount of anger directed at him by the teen.

"You're probably about to have a maybe hostile, definitely dangerous, and certainly pissed off alchemist drop into your car park, and you're _really_ questioning where I'm going?" Ed asked incredulously. "I'm going out there to make sure your agents don't get themselves killed fighting against someone more dangerous than anyone they've ever faced, using a weapon they can't possibly understand!" Ed took off, deftly dodging any attempts to grab him again, and burst out of the room. The last thing he heard from inside was Hotch calling for Director Vance to wait.

Ed nearly hit the railing in front of him before he vaulted over it and onto the staircase below, landing in a half-crouch to absorb the impact, before he leaped over the staircase balustrade and immediately headed for the elevator. He heard four distinct sets of footsteps running down the staircase behind him, someone softly exclaim "Whoa!" (he assumed it was DiNozzo), before he managed to slip in the elevator just as whoever was in it stepped out. He jabbed the button to get him to the floor he wanted and waited as the door slid shut just as Gibbs came into view.

He only had to wait a few moments before the elevator came to a stop and he was off and running again for the car park. He dashed past people coming and going from the building, but the people were so stunned to see him running that they didn't get a chance to intercept or delay him. He was a little surprised at how quickly the four agents caught back up to him (probably because they knew the building better than he did). Before anyone could say anything, there was a bright flash of light and two people falling to the ground below.

Ed recognised the first one right away and made a beeline straight for him, keeping an attentive eye on the second one, who was the first to stir.

"Mustang! Get up!" he yelled, barely ten meters away from the still form of his commanding officer before the second person leapt to his feet and spun around to face Edward, causing Ed to skid to a stop. It took a single heartbeat for Ed to realise who the second person was, and another for him to clap his hands together sharply before dragging his fingers across the asphalt, sending a wave of spikes at the man, hoping to catch him off guard.

A crackle of red energy destroyed his attack before it could reach its target and Ed snarled at both the failed attack and the person standing there. "Moore."

 **A/N - not much of a note but let me know what you thought to PhoenixQueen's hard work!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

"Well, hello there Edward."

Moore grinned as he faced the pissed-off alchemist, barely paying any attention to the unconscious one behind him or to the four people standing off to the side, watching the conflict unfold. "Fancy seeing you here."

"You sent me here, you pathetic dick," Edward snarled, resisting the urge to transmute his automail blade. He hadn't revealed his automail to the agents yet, and he wanted to avoid it for as long as he could. The BAU agents hadn't reacted badly, but Edward still generally didn't like to reveal his automail to strangers.

Moore chuckled at the childish name-calling, before the sound of the safeties being released from four guns drew his attention. He looked over at the agents and clicked his tongue disapprovingly at them. "I've waited too long for this. Can't have you lot interrupting us."

He raised his hand and Ed saw a glint of red between his fingers. Red energy shot towards the agents, but Ed was ready. Clapping his hands together he sent his own transmutation energy racing along the pavement and as it reached a spot a meter in front of where the agents were standing, the ground shifted and formed a large protective wall. It wasn't his best transmutation, and the hastily constructed wall disintegrated the moment the red energy from Moore's attack reached it, but the agents were unscathed.

Unfortunately for Ed, Moore had anticipated his desire to protect the agents. Before Ed could react, Moore sent a second attack at him which Edward didn't have time to block or avoid. A pressure wave hit him and sent him flying through the air. His flight was interrupted as he slammed into the side of a car with enough force to crumple the door and leave him dazed for a moment, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears.

"That's just the beginning of what I have in store for you and the bastard flame alchemist," Moore sneered, taking a few steps closer to Edward.

"You know," Edward said, pulling himself to his feet with the aid of the car. "Someone told me once that you haven't won a fight just because you landed a blow. Instead of finishing me off, you've given me a second chance to kick your ass." He clapped sharply and slammed his hands into the side of the car, transmuting six throwing knives out of the ruined panel. With several skilled throws, he sent them flying in quick and precise procession, aiming five of the knives at Moore's face, before sending the sixth one for his right shoulder. Just as he'd expected, Moore knocked the first five out of the air, lazily grinning at Ed, before the sixth one buried itself in soft flesh where the shoulder joined the torso.

Moore let out a howl of pain before he ripped the knife out of his shoulder and flung it aside. He swapped the Stone into his other fist, before he raised it to unleash a new attack only to find the blond alchemist suddenly right in his face. He had a split second to process this before he was sent stumbling with the force of the punch Ed landed.

Edward kept Moore on the defensive, never giving him a chance to turn the tide. Even though Moore did manage to get a few lucky hits in, Ed took the blows and retaliated immediately. He wanted to make sure not to give Moore an opportunity to utilise the red Stone still clenched in his fist. After several minutes, Ed finally got the opening he'd been looking for. Moore threw a punch and Ed used his speed to his advantage, ducking and taking a half-step back so that the punch whistled past the top of his head, leaving Moore over-extended. Edward reached out and captured Moore's left wrist and forearm in his automail and _squeezed_.

There was a sickening _crack_ before Moore screeched in pain. Reflexively, he dropped the Stone, and Ed wasted no time, kicking it as far away as he could before he let Moore's wrist go. Moore stumbled back a few steps, cradling his broken arm in his right hand as Edward fell back into a defensive stance.

"You're an idiot if you think that was the only one I have," Moore sneered as he carefully reached into his right pocket, grimacing against the pain in his right shoulder as he pulled out another Stone.

"Of course you have more on you. Why the fuck would the universe suddenly be on my side?" Ed sighed, stepping forward, intending to re-engage the man, but this time Moore was ready for him. Using a similar attack as before, Moore blasted Edward backwards. The blond teen flew a few meters back before landing hard on his left shoulder and rolling as his momentum dispersed. He gained his feet almost immediately before dropping back to one knee as his head swam and his vision distorted.

Moore was obviously a quick learner, because he didn't give Edward a chance to get back to his feet before he sent another attack at the teen. From the asphalt in front of him, he transmuted several throwing knives of his own and used the power of the Stone to send them hurtling towards Ed's kneeling form. Ed could hear a couple of the agents call his name in panic, as well as a few shots being fired, but he could only watch the knives coming at him.

At least until a massive stream of fire intercepted them and knocked them away from their intended target.

"It's about fucking time, you lazy bastard!" Edward yelled. "Cutting it a little close, damn it!" Clapping again, he slammed his hands into the asphalt and sent a massive stone fist for where he knew Moore had last been standing. However, the first only hit the ground, instead of a person. A quick look showed what had happened: Moore had created a hole and escaped via a tunnel. Even as Edward watched, the tunnel sealed itself closed behind Moore.

Edward sighed and spat some blood out onto the ground before looking around for the Stone he'd forced Moore to drop. Spotting it under a nearby car, he snatched it up and turned to face Mustang as his commanding officer strode across the parking lot to meet him. He also noticed the agents moving forward cautiously.

"I think a 'Thank you, Sir," would be appropriate, Fullmetal. I did just save your life." Mustang smirked and any positive emotions Ed might have felt about having someone else from home here with him disappeared at the sight of it.

"Sure, Mustang," Ed drawled. "I'll thank you just as soon as you've saved my life as many times as I've saved yours."

Mustang rolled his eyes. "As if you've saved me more times than I've saved you, short stack."

Ed bristled at the comment about his height. "Wanna bet? Remember when that lady spiked your drink with poison and I stopped you from drinking it? Or how about when I spotted that sniper and made his rifle blow up in his face before he could assassinate you? Oh! Then there was that time when we were sent to a different dimension by Truth to hunt down a crazy rogue alchemist. If I recall correctly, said crazy, rogue alchemist tried _twice_ to smoosh you with a boulder before I blocked it or tackled you out of the way. You were unconscious for this one, but there was that one time you got sent to the same dimension as before, and the crazy alchemist who sent us here tried to kill you only for me to draw his attention long enough for you to wake up. Would you like me to keep going?"

Ed grinned triumphantly as Mustang sighed in defeated resignation. The noise of a throat being cleared reminded the two alchemists that they had an audience.

"Fullmetal, would you like to introduce us?" Mustang asked, although he somehow made the request sound like an order.

Ed rolled his eyes but gestured to each agent in turn as he introduced them. "Mustang, these are Agents Gibbs, McGee, DiNozzo, and David. Agents, Mustang." It was Mustang's turn to roll his eyes.

"Brigadier General Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mustang ignored Edward's not-so-subtle mutterings about ranks and posturing as he shook the agents' hands. "Are you FBI as well?"

"NCIS," the older one, Gibbs, corrected.

Mustang caught Ed's eye and asked for a silent explanation.

Edward sighed. "They're like the FBI, but they deal strictly with their Navy. Does anyone have a pen or a marker?" Ed's quick subject change startled the agents, but after a moment McGee produced a ballpoint pen from inside his jacket pocket.

"Here you go," he said as he handed it over.

"Thanks," Ed grunted, raising his left hand to his mouth and using his teeth to pull his glove off. He uncapped the pen and quickly drew a circle with several symbols inside it on the back of his hand.

"What's that?" McGee asked curiously, just as Ed laid the tips of the fingers of his right hand on the edge of the circle and got a look of concentration on his face for a moment. The circle began to glow with a faint blue light for a few seconds.

"A transmutation array," Ed replied as he put his glove back on. Upon seeing the question on their faces, he elaborated. "Most alchemists need to draw an array so they can transmute. A circle is the symbol to control power in our field. Each circle is designed to do something very specific – it's an equation that tells the transmutation energy what to do. So, I couldn't use the array I just drew for anything except what it's designed to do. In this case, it's speeding up the amount of alchemic energy I can absorb from around me. I wouldn't have to do this at home, but this dimension doesn't have as much alchemic energy lying around and the amount I expend with each transmutation is more than what I would at home, so I need this array to help me recover more quickly."

As he spoke, the agents could see the effects the array was having on him. His golden eyes weren't as exhausted as they had been a few moments ago, and his breathing didn't seem to be as harsh. He straightened up more, as if the energy that he was drawing in through the array was actually powering him up.

"Why would you need to absorb the energy more quickly?" Ziva asked, stepping forward a little bit.

"A couple of reasons. First, if Moore were to come back now, I'd only be able to use one or two minor arrays before I was too exhausted to transmute anymore. This way I have more energy to use on more useful arrays. The second reason is that I need more energy than what I've got to fix your parking lot. This is the quickest way to get it. I can't do anything about the car I was slammed into though," he admitted, wincing at the damage to the sedan. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"Oh sure," Mustang drawled. "You'll apologise for breaking their things, but not for the stuff you destroy that belongs to the military."

Ed rolled his eyes at his commander. "You see, the difference there is that I actually _am_ sorry I broke their stuff." Mustang huffed, but Ed ignored him. DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva had odd expressions on their faces – as if they were torn between being worried or awed that he was talking back to Mustang. Gibbs looked like he was almost going to smile at their exchange.

Ed internally took stock of his damage. His head hurt at least ten times as much as it had when he'd fallen through the portal, and he was fairly certain that he'd reopened the gash on his forearm. His back ached and he knew that it would probably be one big bruise in the morning. His left shoulder was throbbing from when he'd landed on it, and he had a ton of nicks and grazes from the asphalt. He was also fairly certain he'd rolled or sprained his right ankle somehow. Fortunately both of his automail limbs were still working perfectly, so he had one less thing to worry about at the moment. He had some bruised ribs from some of the lucky hits Moore had got in during their hand-to-hand combat, but he was so used to that particular injury that they barely registered in the overall aches and pains he had accumulated.

"Edward, what's the difference between your alchemy and Moore's?" McGee asked suddenly. DiNozzo rolled his eyes at Ziva, who just scowled at him. Ed narrowed his eyes slightly at the exchange.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, genuinely curious as to how someone who'd only found out alchemy existed an hour ago would know the difference. There was, after all, only one way to tell.

"The light you created when you clapped was a different colour than the one he created, and he wasn't clapping," McGee answered.

Ed was impressed. It seemed at least one of these agents was paying enough attention to notice small details. "Good catch. Most alchemic transmutations generate a blue-tinted energy. There are a few other exceptions, and it's theorized that the different colours relate to the element being manipulated. Moore, however, was using a Philosopher's Stone. It's a horrible weapon that allows the person using it to forgo all alchemic laws and creates a red energy. The Stones grant even the weakest alchemist more power than anyone could ever imagine. If you're wielding a Stone, you're almost always guaranteed the win in a battle."

"So how'd you win against him?" Ziva asked curiously. She had seen how good a fighter Edward was, but if what he said about the red stone was true, she wanted to know why he'd been able to win.

"Fullmetal is one of a very few alchemists who have gone up against someone wielding a Stone before and has come out alive. His brother is another alchemist who could go up against someone wielding a Stone and have a hope of winning. I could have held my ground as well, but we're the only ones who could," Mustang stated matter-of-factly.

Mustang was praising him? To strangers? In front of Edward? Edward shook his head slightly, not wanting to think about the rarity of that event. "It does help that I'm the single best and most versatile alchemist in Amestris, and that there are only two people I've fought against who have been able to beat me in strictly hand-to-hand combat," Ed shrugged nonchalantly.

"And he's modest," Mustang tacked on to the end, and Ed took great pleasure in jabbing his commander in the gut with his automail elbow. He turned and started walking back out to where he and Moore had fought before Mustang could retaliate, although he wasn't spared from the creatively cuss-less curses his CO managed to come up with. He reached the central point of the damage and spun around to face everyone, golden eyes darting around to collect data for what he needed to do. Once he cleaned up from this fight, he was going to interrogate Mustang about why the fuck he and Moore had turned up here.

"You lot need to move," he ordered, pointing to the undamaged space between the lines of cars. "Right over there should be good enough."

Mustang didn't hesitate, moving over to where Ed had indicated. The three younger agents hesitated, looking at Gibbs for their orders. Gibbs' ice-blue eyes locked with Ed's golden ones for a few moments before the older man gave a sharp nod and moved to stand near Mustang, his team following dutifully behind them. Ed spotted Vance lurking off to the side, but the man wasn't in the way, so he didn't comment. He took a deep breath, summoned the array he needed to the front of his mind, and clapped. The ringing sounded as the energy built up as he dropped to one knee and placed his hands on the ground directly in front of him before he let the pent-up energy flow out of him and watched as the car park mended itself.

Blue lightning raced along the cracks and the asphalt seemed to melt and then harden immediately. After a few moments more, there wasn't any evidence an alchemic fight ever took place there, save for the damage to the sedan. DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva all watched the released energy with unrestrained awe on their faces and Ed had to wonder if the amazement that seemed to always be evident after one of his transmutations on Earth would ever go away. Gibbs and Vance both managed to keep their faces neutral, but Ed hadn't missed that single moment when they hadn't been able to keep their masks in place when he first started.

He allowed the array to do its job until he was satisfied with the result, at which he allowed the transmutation to end. Though his energy absorption array was still active and would be for the next ten minutes, he still felt damn near drained of all his energy and he scowled at how much energy a simple array like that cost him here in this dimension. He stood back up, only to sway dizzily for a moment as the energy drain hit him right between the eyes. He took half a step back, trying to acclimate to the vertigo, only to feel a hand under his left elbow, holding him steady. He blinked up at Mustang, almost impressed with how quickly he managed to get to Ed's side.

"How are you feeling?" Mustang asked, worry tainting his tone. Three months ago, Ed would've teased him for allowing that to slip past his usual impassive mask while secretly wondering if his dark-haired commanding officer was truly worried. The fact that he didn't this time spoke volumes about how their relationship had improved since the Promised Day.

"I hate this dimension," Ed muttered as he let Mustang lead/help him back over to everyone else. Vance had joined the agents where they stood by now. Mustang let out an amused huff and Ed was too tired to growl at him for it. He wasn't too tired to file this moment away so he could get Mustang back for laughing at him later, though. Ed felt five sets of eyes (six if one counted Mustang, who at least was being more subtle about it) rake over his body, checking for new injuries and assessing how badly he could be hurt.

"Agent David, please take Edward down to see Doctor Mallard before we sit down and debrief."

* * *

Mustang eyed the dark-skinned man who had spoken before registering the sudden tension in Edward's posture. A quick glance at his subordinate made him realise why. The teen had hurt his right side, and for any doctor to treat him, he'd have to remove his shirt. Mustang had never known Ed to be body-shy when it came to his automail, but he supposed that it was different in Amestris, where everyone knew what automail was. While he might have grown comfortable enough with the BAU team to be willing to show them his hand (although he'd been forced into it by Harding), evidently the teen wasn't as willing this time around.

"There's no need to trouble your doctor," Mustang spoke before Edward could try and argue his way out of receiving medical treatment. Five sets of eyes swung his way. "I've got more than enough experience dealing with battlefield injuries. Fullmetal's tendencies to get into a fight nearly every mission I send him on has made certain of that. I'll just need access to a first aid kit and a private room."

Gibbs and Vance looked at each other for a moment, this evasion on the part of the two alchemists contributing to some of their suspicions about Edward. After a moment, Vance nodded. "Agent McGee will show you to an empty office you can use while Agent David gets you a first aid kit. They'll escort you to my office after Edward has been tended to."

Edward hadn't introduced this man, but Mustang assumed that he must be the one in charge and not Agent Gibbs. Mustang nodded thanks and felt Edward's relief as the younger man's frame relaxed slightly against him. They'd just begun to follow the two agents when Vance called Edward's name again, causing them all to stop and look back at the remaining three men.

"I thought you'd like to know, Edward, your friends will be here in –" a quick flick of his wrist gave the dark-skinned man access to the face of his watch, "- a little over an hour now." Mustang looked down at Ed questioningly, and was even more confused at the way the teen's face brightened slightly.

"Really?" Ed asked and Vance nodded. Mustang cleared his throat, effectively getting everyone's attention. "Oh, right. Before you and Moore dropped in, we were talking to Hotch and the rest of the BAU team. They were helping me convince these guys that I wasn't insane when I sensed the portal opening. Once I realised what I was sensing, I took off. I guess Hotch and the others said they were on their way to see us."

Mustang was surprised to find the he was relaxing a little at the thought of having the FBI agents close by. They already had experience helping them hunt down a rogue alchemist and they'd be able to help them again. "Good. That's really good." He tugged on Ed's arm to start him walking again. "Now, let's go patch you up so you don't pass out before they get here." Ed's angry growl was worth the snide remark in Mustang's opinion.

Agent McGee showed them into an unused, empty office near the conference room they'd used earlier so Ed could call Garcia, promising that he and Agent David would be waiting right outside when they were ready to go up to Vance's office. A few moments later, Agent David arrived with a large, fully stocked first aid kit. Ed jumped up on the edge of the desk as Mustang took the first aid kit and thanked the agent. She nodded silently, reminding both alchemists of Hawkeye with her matter of fact attitude. She closed the door behind herself, leaving the two alchemists alone. Mustang had barely taken a step towards the desk where Ed was sitting when he was bombarded with questions.

"What happened after I disappeared? Is Al okay? Why are you and Moore here? Did something go wrong? Is Al okay?" Ed's voice was laced with concern for his younger brother.

Mustang held up a hand to quiet him down so he could get a word in and also to cut off the barrage of questions, especially since Ed had started to repeat himself. "Al's fine. Other than a few bruises and minor cuts, he was completely fine when I turned up here. Take your shirt off so I can look at your side."

Ed shed his red coat and the borrowed NCIS shirt and lifted his arm so Mustang could start his work. His commander did so, not even twitching at the sight of all the scars that littered the teen's torso. "Al was able to apprehend Moore easily after you got sent here. Apparently, Moore surrendered as soon as you were gone. Once he was secure, Al got a phone call through to me. It took us a while to get a location out of him, and even longer to calm him down once we arrived so he could tell us what was wrong."

Mustang pulled out a few disinfectant swabs and began carefully cleaning some abrasions caused from the asphalt of the carpark on Ed's back and shoulder. "Once we understood what had happened, I sent the rest of the team to look around the area for you, since Al wasn't exactly sure what the array was supposed to do. He was certain you weren't dead, but the array wasn't for human transmutation, so he didn't think you were with Truth either. When there was no sign of you in the immediate vicinity, I went to interrogate Moore and look at the array for myself. Unfortunately, Al neglected to mention that Moore had access to a Stone, and in his panic and worry for you, he must have forgotten to search Moore when he secured him. As soon as I was halfway across the array, Moore was out of his bindings and had entered the array himself before he activated it." He studied the way Ed was sitting and shook his head. "Can you raise your arms? I want to check your ribs."

Ed did as he was told and allowed Mustang to press gently along his rib cage, flinching when his commander hit a few tender spots. "I'll have to bind these," Mustang said, reaching into the kit and pulling out a few rolls of bandages. Ed just nodded in agreement, holding still while Mustang got the first loop around his torso.

"You walked onto an array without disarming it first? That was a rookie mistake, Mustang. At least I have the excuse of saying that neither Al nor I could even see it through the amount of dust and dirt on the floor."

Mustang sighed in a long-suffering way. "Whatever, brat. You can put your shirt on – nice outfit by the way – since I'm done." Ed did as he was told (possibly the first and only time he'd obeyed without arguing). "I'm just surprised Moore managed to hide the fact that he was an alchemist from everyone."

Ed shook his head. "He didn't have to hide anything. He told Al and me he wasn't an alchemist, or at least not a very good one. But you know how the Stone works. You don't need to be a good alchemist to use one; you just need a tiny bit of talent. Moore as good as told us he had no clue how to do alchemy without a Stone, and I think it's pretty obvious he doesn't know the full capability of the Stones. I suspect anything he's learned about alchemy has been from watching Harding."

Mustang paused for a moment, thinking over the admittedly minor interactions he'd had with Moore before shaking his head. "Explain?" he requested, not ordered, knowing that Ed would probably give him attitude if he tried to make his question an order.

"He didn't heal himself from the injuries I gave him, and he didn't make any of his attacks as deadly as he could have," Ed explained, since he loved to discuss his theories with anyone smart enough to follow him. Without pausing to give his commander time to think about his answer, he forged ahead with a further explanation. "You and I have seen firsthand that a Stone can heal, but a lot of people in Amestris, even other alchemists, don't seem to realise that you can use alchemy to heal someone. We know Creta and Xing have the best healing methods, even though Xing is really alkahestry, not alchemy. Anyway, my point is it would take a little longer but you can heal with alchemy, you just have to know the methods or have a Stone. Moore didn't heal himself at all. I don't think he realises he can. I believe Harding figured it out by accident when he was here, which would explain why Moore doesn't know."

"And Moore's attacks?" he asked, interrupting Ed before he could continue to ramble on about alchemic healing.

Ed's eyes focused back on him. "His attacks weren't as deadly as he could've made them. That attack you intercepted could've been a lot worse. He used the Stone to make daggers out of the material the parking lot was made out of, an attack your flames easily thwarted. If he'd changed the composition to something heavier, a metal maybe, your attack wouldn't have worked as well, if at all. I know," Ed held up his hand to stop the objection before it could come, "you would've taken that into consideration when you launched that attack, but Moore still didn't realise he could've changed the material so completely. I would've defended myself by bringing my automail across my chest at the last second and metal knives would've had more of a chance of damaging me than stone ones."

Mustang understood the point Ed was trying to make. "Moore has no clue how much power he holds right now, nor does he realise what he could do with it." Ed nodded, pleased that he had been following along. "If we can catch him before he realises just how much power he's got…"

"We'd not only stand a better chance in the fight but we'll get our tickets home, just like last time," Ed finished for him.

Mustang nodded. "So that's the plan. We catch Moore before he figures out his new power and we trade the Stones for passage home." Ed hummed his agreement. "So now we've just got to hunt down an unhinged, amateur alchemist who has no control over his alchemy and wants us both dead."

Ed clapped him on the shoulder as he hopped off the desk. "Yep. That about sums it up." He grinned, completely unfazed by the looming danger. "I hope we can get some food somewhere. I'm starving."

"How unusual," he drawled, rolling his eyes. "Come on; let's go get this debriefing started."

"Speaking of which," Ed said before Mustang could open the door, "how much should we tell them about everything? The Promised Day, Ishval, the Stone?"

Mustang thought about it for a few moments. "We've already told the BAU, so I don't think there would be any harm in telling these agents."

Ed studied his commander for a moment, before nodding.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

McGee and Ziva were waiting outside the door of the office where their two unexpected visitors were getting Ed's wounds patched up. Neither of them had spoken since they were given their orders twenty minutes ago. McGee wasn't sure what was going on in Ziva's head, but his own was a mess. He had always believed in what he could see. He had never bought into magic, aliens, ghosts, or other supernatural things because he'd never seen any hard evidence proving that they were real. That being said, he'd always said that he had a very open mind, and that if any irrefutable evidence came to light, he'd accept it as any well-trained investigator would.

Right now, McGee was having a hard time believing what he'd witnessed in the last two hours. Despite having witnessed it with his own eyes, his brain was finding it extremely hard to accept that he had seen a blond teenager literally fall from the sky. Following that, of course, the kid had apparently previously contacted one of the most elite, most requested BAU teams in the FBI, convinced Vance to allow him to call said agents, and then had them confirming his story about alternate dimensions and alchemy.

They hadn't even heard the whole story about this Harding person, Edward's world, or how the BAU agents fit into the story when Edward had claimed he could sense some sort of energy building up outside before darting out of MTAC, leaping to the main level and racing for the elevator before anyone could stop him. The rest of the team had chased after him, arriving in the parking lot in time to see _two_ more people fall from the sky, both of whom Edward had recognised immediately.

Edward had moved to try to protect one of the new arrivals, a man dressed in a uniform that seemed military in nature, from the second man. The vicious look on the teen's face, and the fact that the boy had barely even stopped before he'd clapped his hands and sent an attack that should have been impossible in every sense of the word had caused all of them to stop in their tracks. As one, the team had raised their guns and racked their weapons slides, drawing the man's attention away from Edward. But it was Edward who had, with another clap of his hands, sent energy racing along the ground and causing a thick wall to erupt in front of them, shielding them from the red energy the man had sent at them.

Edward had been the only reason none of them had died right then. The realisation of that fact caused McGee to shudder slightly. He'd been in some life-threatening situations before, but in each of those cases, he'd had some idea of what the danger was. But people falling out of the sky, wielding energy to create and destroy objects around them? How did someone prepare themselves for that?

"Are you alright, McGee?" Ziva's soft, accented voice asked. Her concern was obvious as her pretty brown eyes watched his body language closely.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this entire situation." He sighed as he leaned back against the wall. "I mean, this is so beyond anything we've ever dealt with and we've dealt with some weird stuff. But this is just literally mind-blowing."

"I understand. I don't think my mind has completely processed everything yet," she admitted. McGee couldn't help the warm feeling he got knowing that Ziva trusted him enough to admit that she was as thrown by the day's events as everyone else. It wouldn't have been that long ago that Ziva would never have admitted to that, thinking it would make her seem weak.

"I don't think anyone's has. Tony hasn't even cracked a joke or made a movie reference about this," McGee pointed out and Ziva hummed a little as she realised the truth of his statement. "Did you notice that neither Gibbs nor Vance scolded Tony when he lost it in MTAC? They're as thrown by this as we are. I don't think the enormity of everything that's happened today is going to hit us until later."

"What do you think Abby will be like once she learns about all of this?" Ziva asked.

McGee sighed. "Oh, she'll have Edward under a microscope as soon as possible, ask him a million questions, and demand demonstrations. I think she and Edward will get along though, and that's a scary thought." The idea that Abby and Edward might be kindred spirits made him shudder again, this time at the idea that they would be set loose by themselves.

"Do you think the building would survive that?" Ziva asked seriously. She might have only spoken a handful of words to the teen, but she had a feeling that Edward was hiding his true personality behind his suspicion of them. She'd seem something similar to teasing playfulness when he'd been talking to the FBI agents, and again in the parking lot with the one he'd referred to as Mustang.

The door opened suddenly and the two alchemists exited, cutting off whatever response McGee might have had. Edward was tugging his flamboyant red coat on as he led the way out of the room. Mustang handed a much emptier first aid kit back to Ziva.

* * *

The two agents waiting outside the door to the office they had borrowed straightened as they exited. Mustang handed the first aid kit back to the female agent with a charming smile. She reminded him of Hawkeye in a lot of ways, and sometimes (on rare occasions) he was able to charm his way out of trouble with his Captain by smiling at her. "Thank you, Agent David."

"You're welcome. Are you okay, Edward? You're sure you don't need to see Doctor Mallard?" she asked, focusing on Edward.

"Yup." He popped the 'p' in the word, casually. "That fight was one of the tamer ones I've been in, and Mustang patched me up, so I'm good to go."

Ziva and McGee simultaneously looked like they wanted to ask, but also didn't want to know. Mustang just rolled his eyes at Ed's bravado.

"Well, we're glad you're okay. Let's head up to Director Vance's office. Everyone else is waiting up there," Ziva said and the two agents led the way through the bullpen, acquiring several curious looks from the agents who'd seen Ed tear through the room a few minutes ago, though no one approached them. There wasn't any conversation between the alchemists and the agents, as Mustang and Edward were busy studying their surroundings and the people near them.

McGee and Ziva led them back upstairs and into an anteroom of sorts, where a pretty, tanned lady with black hair was seated behind a desk. She nodded at the agents, picked up the phone and pressed a button.

"Director, Agents McGee and David are here." She listened for a moment. "Yes, sir. Right away." She put the phone down and stood up from her chair. "Director Vance is waiting for you." She moved over to the double doors and pushed them open.

"Thanks, Maria," McGee said as he moved through the door.

Edward and Mustang thanked Maria as well as they walked past her, while Ziva brought up the rear. As Maria pulled the door closed, Edward decided that whoever designed this building had a serious obsession with the colour orange. Not that Ed had anything against orange, but this place took it to the next level.

Vance's room seemed to double as a conference room, as there was a large table at one end of the room with chairs around it. There was also a seriously comfy couch in one corner that reminded Ed of the ones in Mustang's office, and a pair of leather chairs positioned in front of Vance's desk. His body took that moment to remind him that he was still exhausted from all the alchemy he'd performed during the fight, despite his absorbing array. It took what little self-control he had to stop himself from finding out if that couch was a comfortable as it looked. If they were back in Amestris and this was Mustang's office, he wouldn't have hesitated.

Mustang bumped his shoulder slightly, refocusing Ed's attention on whatever Vance was saying. "…your friends from the FBI should be here shortly," Vance concluded, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. Ed didn't need to be prompted twice. He immediately claimed one of the chairs and left Mustang the other one. He wasn't the only one to raise a surprised eyebrow when, instead of sitting in the other chair, Mustang chose to stand next to Ed on his right side. After a moment, Gibbs took the other seat, while the agents arranged themselves behind him. "Before they get here, would you mind continuing your story from earlier, Edward?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Ed said, sitting up straighter. No one missed the slight wince he tried to hide, but no one commented on it either. "So, you heard Hotch tell you what was happening in this dimension before we appeared in New York, with the killer who was boiling people's blood." The agents all nodded in agreement. "First, Mustang and I think you need to know something about our country's history for any of this to make any sense."

Gibbs and Vance exchanged short, sharp nods, so Ed took a deep breath.

"Amestris, our country, was officially founded a little over four hundred years ago, but our history starts six hundred years ago," Ed started explaining. "In the desert that lies to the east of our country's borders was an extremely advanced civilization known as Xerxes. In one night, the entire country was wiped out, except for two survivors, both of whom were alchemists. One of them went to the west, and settled in what eventually became our capital, Central City. He became known as the Philosopher from the East. The other survivor went to the east, to the Xing Empire, which will become relevant to the story later."

"We started out as a small country, and on paper we're officially a parliamentary republic, but we raised a strong army, and began slowly taking over neighbouring countries, adding them to our borders and expanding until we became the nation we are today," Mustang continued when Ed paused for a breath.

"On paper?" Gibbs asked.

Mustang nodded grimly. "Our country has been tied up in the military for so long that in reality we are a military state under the control of the head of our military, the Führer. It's not known exactly when the parliament lost or ceded control to the military, but it was a subtle takeover, and it's been at least a few decades, perhaps longer."

"Anyway," Edward took control of the conversation again, not wanting to get into an in-depth discussion about politics. "Amestris really became a force to be reckoned with amongst our neighbours after the survivor from Xerxes arrived and brought the science of alchemy with him. We adopted it, mastered it, and used it to help build and strengthen our country in many different ways, including military might. Two hundred years after the fall of Xerxes, Amestris was officially founded, and we expanded rapidly. It was the most recent events that really influenced where our country stands today. A little over thirty years ago, we annexed the small country of Ishval, which is on the eastern border of our country. There was some minor resistance from the Ishvalans, mainly ideological ones, as they're extremely religious and found, among other things, our use of alchemy to be blasphemous, but eventually the most fervent protests died down, or so it seemed."

"Fourteen years ago, however, there was an incident where an Amestrian soldier accidentally shot and killed an Ishvalan child," Mustang picked up the story, his face taking on a tense, almost haunted look. "Although the officer who shot the child was court-martialed and eventually executed by a firing squad when he couldn't come up with a valid reason for firing his gun that day, it wasn't enough for the Ishvalans. There were uprisings and revolts as a result of that incident, fueled by the residual resentment over the annexation and our use of alchemy. The uprisings continued and eventually spread to include not just Ishval, but the entire Eastern region. It lasted for seven long years before the Führer, King Bradley, issued an executive order that changed the fate of Ishval and Amestris."

The agents seemed puzzled, so Ed elaborated, wanting to spare Mustang from having to explain it. "Executive order thirty-sixty-six – the official order to begin the Ishvalan War of Extermination."

There was silence in the room for a long moment.

"By extermination, you mean…?" Ziva ventured.

"Genocide," Edward said bluntly. "The military was sent in to put down the Ishvalans, by any means necessary. The fighting went on for another year after that, but even with our greater military might, it took the military sending in the State Alchemists to finally end the fighting. Even then, the war never really ended. We were just in a cold war phase for five years. It was only about four months ago that the military occupation of Ishval was called off and the territory returned to the surviving Ishvalans. They are still considered citizens of Amestris, and part of our borders, but we've been trying to make amends with them."

"What was the purpose of all of this?" McGee finally managed when Ed paused again. "I mean, why…?"

Edward noted that his commander still seemed to be lost in thought and decided to spare him any further discussion of Ishval. "What no one knew until recently was that the man we knew and revered as the Philosopher of the East wasn't in fact a human at all. He was a creature known as a homunculous, an artificially created human. From behind the scenes, he manipulated the leadership of our country with promises of power and immortality, including orchestrating the circumstances that led to the outbreak of the war. As a result, for the entire history of our country, the upper echelons of the high command were corrupt. There was perhaps the rare, honest commander, but as a rule those officers never made it high enough in the ranks to be let in on the secret. Even the State Alchemist program was created for the homunculous to use to find strong alchemists that he could use and sacrifice to help him achieve his ultimate goal, which was to become something even more powerful than God."

"How?" DiNozzo asked.

Edward hesitated for a moment, looking up at Mustang. The two alchemists exchanged long, significant looks, before Mustang nodded. Edward sighed. "In order to achieve his goal, he needed five alchemists who had performed and survived a very specific transmutation. Each alchemist possesses something called a Gate of Knowledge, or a Gate of Truth, which is part of the reason that we're alchemists. It's a long story and there's a lot more theory behind it that is too complicated to get into, but when the five Gates were opened simultaneously and in close quarters, they clashed violently and forced the Gate that belongs to our Earth to open. There's more to it than that, but the end result was that the homunculous sacrificed every single human and animal in Amestris to gain the power he sought."

If the story wasn't so serious, he would have smirked at the expressions on the agents' faces. However, his goal wasn't to mock them, so he refrained himself and continued. "Luckily, one of the sacrifices did something useful, for once in his life, and had spent years setting up a countermeasure. The countermeasure triggered and the power that the homunculous had gathered was taken away from him and everyone who had been killed was brought back to life. Instead of a massive, god-like being to deal with, we just had a pissed-off, over-powered douche bag to deal with. All of the allies that we had gathered, along with those in the military we could trust came together for a huge final battle in the main courtyard of Central Command. During the fight, my brother gave his life to save mine, and I managed to stop the threat. Once the homunculous was gone, I performed a transmutation that brought me face-to-face with Truth. I mentioned it earlier – alchemy god, massive dickwad. Anyway, in exchange for Truth giving me my brother back, alive, I promised it a couple of things, one of which was a favour. Three months ago, Truth cashed in on that favour when one of our State Alchemists, Thomas Harding, the Boiling Alchemist, went rogue and disappeared."

"As Fullmetal was currently off active duty, due to the fact that he was caring for his brother in the hospital, I was assigned to lead up the search for Harding," Mustang resumed talking, apparently having shaken off the memories mention of Ishval had brought up. "Harding had been missing for a month when the case landed on my desk. I took my team to investigate his house and found that he had set alchemic booby traps to keep people out."

"So, recognising my superior intellect, Mustang came to me for help disarming the trap, and at the same time Truth called in its favour and sent me and Mustang to New York to hunt Harding down," Ed interjected with a smirk.

"Fullmetal." Mustang managed to both growl and groan at the same time and Ed was certain that was a first. He was used to hearing one or the other.

"Just telling it like it is, Mustang," Ed quipped back. Mustang lightly cuffed him across the back of the head, and Ed retaliated almost immediately with a punch to Mustang's shoulder with his automail fist – although he was careful to make sure the blow was light enough that it wouldn't even bruise. DiNozzo and McGee exchanged a look and Edward almost questioned it, but his stomach gave a soft growl at that moment, although he ignored it, intent on getting back to the story.

Vance held up a finger in the universal (and interdimensional) 'one minute' gesture and picked up his phone. Ed shared a quick glance with Mustang but they waited as they were bid.

"Maria, would you order us some lunch please? Let's go with pizza, and enough to feed twenty people. Get yourself something as well." He paused for a moment. "Thank you." He hung up the phone and looked at everyone. "It's well past lunch time, and I thought everyone would be hungry. I also highly doubt that the FBI agents will be stopping for lunch, given how eager they seemed to be to get here as quickly as possible." Vance's eyes twinkled as he glanced at the two alchemists.

"Thank you, Director Vance," Ed replied, dipping his head slightly, and ignoring Mustang's mutters about why he was being so polite. "Okay, so Hotch already told you that Mustang and I landed in the middle of their crime scene. While I was waiting for this lazy bastard to wake up, I spoke with them and convinced them that I wasn't an immediate risk."

"But you admit that you _are_ a risk," Mustang muttered under his breath, earning an automail elbow to his side.

"Our first conversation basically covered who we were, who they were, where we were, and the possibility that we were looking for the same man. Well, I may have implied that we were from a different country, not a different dimension, and I _definitely_ forgot to mention anything about alchemy, but that's not important," Ed continued. "So the agents took us back to the police station they were using, and we told them about Amestris, alchemy, and why we were there. It only took us one look at the files they had to confirm it was indeed Harding and we offered to assist them in their investigation. They accepted and we got to work. We figured out why he was targeting the people here that he was, I created a couple of clever arrays to help us find him, and we managed to track him back to where he was hiding. I confirmed that he had some Philosopher's Stones on him, we fought, and Harding overused his Stone, which caused a rebound that almost killed him. After that, we were forced to kill him, because there was no way to reverse what he had done to himself. Our job was done and we went home. So…yeah. That's the story."

Silence followed his words and Edward wasn't surprised by that. He'd dumped a lot of information on them in about ten minutes. He couldn't really expect them to process everything immediately. So, he and Mustang waited patiently for the questions they were sure would be coming.

"So…just to see if I've got this right…" DiNozzo was the first one to speak. "What you're saying is that there's a separate dimension, where the two of you come from, and three months ago you guys were sent to our dimension because you owed a god a favour. It cashed in that favour and asked you to find someone who'd managed to jump dimensions and decided to start killing randoms over here. He had some magical stone, like Moore, but you won your fight and went back to your dimension, and now for some reason you've yet to explain, you're back and Moore followed you. Oh, and you can use alchemy, which is apparently a science but looks more like magic."

He looked like he was waiting for someone to tell him that it was all a joke. Ed just nodded, ignoring the comment about magic for the moment.

"What is a Philosopher's Stone?"

Ed was startled when Gibbs spoke. The man's voice was calm and level. He literally sounded as if he had just asked what day of the week it was. Edward gave him a questioning look, and Gibbs regarded him with those ice-blue eyes of his.

"Every time you mention it, you say it like it's a weapon. I'd like to know what it is and what danger it possesses."

Edward sighed and nodded. "Fair enough. But before I explain that, I should probably explain more about alchemy." He glanced at Mustang, who nodded in agreement. "Alchemy 101. Alchemy is the science of understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction. By knowing the elements that an object is made out of, and using the correct transmutation circles or transmutation arrays, an alchemist is able to break that object down to its base components and reshape or reconstruct it into another form. There are three basic principles that alchemist must obey. First, and most importantly, is the law of equivalent exchange: in order to create, something of equal value must be lost. The four of you saw me create throwing knives from the car panel I was thrown into. I made six daggers and ended up using nearly half the panel to do so. I could've used less material, but my knives wouldn't have been as effective, because I could not have made the same quality dagger. The second rule is that an alchemist cannot change the nature of the material they're using. An inorganic object can't be transmuted into something organic, and an organic object can't become inorganic. The resulting creation must be made of the same base elements as what you started with."

The agents must have had enough of a science background that they were following what Ed was saying, or so he assumed given the nods he was seeing from Agents Gibbs, McGee, and David. Ed remembered from his last visit to this dimension that they seemed to have a fairly strong grasp of the same chemistry and biology that Amestris did, so he felt confident enough in continuing.

"The counter to the first principle is that while you must give up an equal amount of what you want to create, you also cannot use more material than what you have available, for the same reason. For example, although I could take a glass of water and freeze it, and even sculpt something with it, I couldn't use a glass of water to make a ten-meter high ice sculpture."

"Alchemy is actively practiced in Amestris," Mustang inserted himself back into the conversation. "In addition to the State Alchemists, there are also independent alchemists who specialise in a wide variety of alchemic fields. However, there are some actual laws that all alchemists must obey, or else they could face criminal charges. Alchemists may not create gold, as an influx of alchemically created gold would destabilise our economy. Even more important however, is using alchemy for human transmutation. This is not only illegal by our laws; it is considered the most taboo transmutation that an alchemist can perform."

"Those who do commit the ultimate taboo normally die horrible deaths," Edward said grimly. "Those who do survive don't do so without terrible consequences, because there is nothing – absolutely _nothing_ – worth the price of a single human soul. Even if you happen to survive the transmutation, if the military finds out, the law allows them to execute you without hesitation."

"That…seems a little severe," Agent McGee said although his tone was one of horror at the idea.

"No, it's not," Edward said. "No one has the right to interfere in someone else's life – to attempt to play god with another person's soul, even if you have the best of intentions." Mustang gripped his shoulder tightly and Ed pulled himself back before he could revisit that memory.

"A Philosopher's Stone is something that bypasses all of those rules," Edward continued, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the agents. He wasn't about to explain his and Al's transgression. "With a Stone, you can do whatever you want. You can dimension hop. With a Stone, you could even bring the dead back to life. Even a non-alchemist could use a Stone and perform powerful transmutations."

"There must be something more to it than that," Gibbs commented, his eyes narrowed slightly. "If these Stones are so powerful, why doesn't every alchemist have one?"

Edward sighed. "Because of how they're made. Because the price is too damn high for any true alchemist. A true alchemist lives by the creed 'Alchemist, be thou for the people', and the process to create a Stone is…horrifying." Edward didn't sound like he thought 'horrifying' described the process accurately but he continued. "My brother and I spent years researching the Stone before we learned the truth. Before the fall of Xerxes, an alchemist serving the royal court created the homunculous, using the blood of one of his slaves, and confining it to a glass flask. The homunculous wanted to be free, so it deceived everyone. It manipulated the alchemist who had created it, along with the King of Xerxes, by promising to give the King the secret of immortality. When the King tried to activate the array, the homunculous used it to instead trap the souls of the entire country of Xerxes. He took the souls of over a million people and divided them into two Philosopher's Stones keeping one for himself and giving the other to the slave whose blood was used to create him." At the appalled looks on the agents' faces, Ed hastened to explain further. "The slave never wanted it, but it was forced on him by the homunculous, who viewed it as a reward for the blood the slave had given."

"So Moore has been using human souls to perform his alchemy? That's what's in that Stone you took off of Moore?" McGee asked and Ed nodded.

"That's horrible," Ziva murmured before her eyes widened slightly. Evidently, she hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she didn't take the words back. Ed and Mustang didn't argue.

"You have a Stone?" Mustang asked and Ed looked up at him, his brow furrowed before he realised that Mustang hadn't seen him steal Moore's Stone.

"Oh, yeah. You were still out of it when I stole it from him." He dug the Stone out of his pocket and handed it to Mustang to examine. "I snapped his wrist to get him to drop this one. I thought I had him at that point, but he told me that he had more Stones. At least he has one less now." Mustang handed the Stone back and Ed pocketed it again.

"Wait, why'd you let him go?" DiNozzo asked. Edward looked at him questioningly. "Moore. You had him, but you let go of him when he dropped the Stone. Why didn't you take him down then? Why'd you let him go?" McGee and Ziva shifted slightly as they realised that Tony was right. Gibbs and Vance just looked at Ed, waiting for his answer.

"I broke his wrist."

Ed was confused. Surely everyone, except perhaps Vance, had realised that when they'd heard the crack and Moore's pained howl. But his confusion turned to anger when he saw the 'so what?' expressions on the faces of the three younger agents' faces. Surely they couldn't be the sorts of people who believed in using excessive force to take down suspects. He hadn't misjudged them that much, had he?

"You seriously expected me to hang onto his already broken wrist? Do you have any idea how painful that is? It would have been torturous!" Ed didn't even realise that he was rising out of his chair until he felt Mustang push him back down, thanks to the grip his commander still had on his shoulder.

"Easy, Fullmetal. Don't do anything stupid," Mustang muttered and Edward shot him a glare before pushing his commander's arm off his shoulder. Mustang looked unimpressed. "I get it, but they don't. You need to remember that these people don't know your history."

There was tension in the room as everyone watched the two alchemists, waiting for Edward's response. After nearly thirty seconds, Edward relaxed back into his seat.

Gibbs glanced at Vance and knew the other man suspected the same thing he did. With a jerk of his head, he hopped up and joined his team over to the side of the room where they held a hushed discussion.

"I'm not gonna apologise though," Ed muttered to Mustang, who just rolled his eyes before sparing a glance at the five agents who were still grouped up and talking off to the side.

"What a surprise. Actually, no that's not surprising," Mustang said drolly. "I know you too well, Fullmetal. I'd be more surprised if you actually did apologise to anyone besides Alphonse."

Ed glared at him again. "I'll stab you and I'll enjoy it, if you keep this attitude up," he threatened and Mustang huffed out a laugh.

"That's rich coming from you."

Edward's glare intensified for a moment before a mischievous glint sparked in the golden eyes. "I'll tell Captain Hawkeye that you tripped that array on purpose to avoid your paperwork."

It was Mustang's turn to glare at his subordinate. "She wouldn't believe you."

Edward could hear the slight waver in his voice that betrayed his uncertainty despite the confident words. "Are you sure about that?" Ed asked, maliciously exploiting that uncertainty. "You are notorious for doing stupid shit to try and get out of your paperwork, _Brigadier General_. Do you really think she wouldn't believe me if I also point out the fact that Al undoubtedly told you what the massive array you walked onto did to me?"

Mustang was once again reminded how truly evil this kid could be. "You're an evil person." Ed flashed him a brilliant grin.

"I know," Ed said happily. The sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted both conversations. Vance stepped away from the other agents before calling for whoever it was to enter. His assistant opened the door.

"Excuse me for interrupting, Director, but your lunch order has arrived," she informed them.

"Thank you, Maria. We'll be eating in here," Vance told her and she nodded.

"The front gate also called to let you know there are some FBI agents waiting to be cleared. They should be up within the next ten minutes. Would you like me to ask Agent Dorneget to escort them up?"

Vance shook his head. "No, Agents DiNozzo and McGee can go down to the lobby and escort them. Thank you, Maria."

She nodded before opening the door and allowing three delivery people in so they could set the food down on the table before leaving again. Maria thanked them as they left before she stood next to the open door and stared DiNozzo and McGee down pointedly.

"Go," Gibbs said as DiNozzo opened his mouth to complain. DiNozzo let out a little sad huff that caused McGee and Ziva to roll their eyes simultaneously before McGee all but dragged his teammate out the door. You could hear them having a whispered argument as the door shut behind Maria and the agents.

"Help yourselves to some lunch. I imagine the FBI agents will want to hear the next part of your story," Director Vance said as he started opening the pizza boxes up and the room was suddenly engulfed with the smell of fresh, hot pizza.

Edward's stomach let out a slightly louder reminder that he was hungry so he didn't waste a second and sat down at the table, pulling the closest pizza towards him. Mustang sat on his right, removed his gloves, and tucked them into his pocket before tucking into his own pizza, although he was more restrained, taking a single slice at a time. Ed noticed more than one look at his still gloved hands as the remaining agents sat down, but he elected to ignore them. He'd explain about his automail later, if he had to.

* * *

Gibbs, Ziva, and Vance sat at the table and started eating their own lunch. After a few slices had been consumed by everyone (although Ed had almost finished an entire pizza himself), there were more questions, although these were more general questions and idle small talk. What was Amestris like? What did they do in their spare time? How long had they been in the military? The questions had ranged from inquires about their friends and families to the politics of their country, which then led to questions about the countries on the Amestrian borders and other boring things that Edward left Mustang to answer.

There were a few questions that neither Ed nor Mustang answered and they were both pleased when their refusal to respond was respected by the agents.

Ed had nearly made it through two whole pizzas when the phone on Vance's desk rang, causing the director to leave the table to answer it. After listening for a few moments, Vance nodded. "Send them in." He hung up the phone and moved over to stand between the conference table and the door, so that whoever entered the room wouldn't be able to enter without acknowledging him first.

The door swung open and Maria was the first to enter, stepping aside to hold the door open while everyone else filed inside. As Ed had expected, it was the BAU team with the two NCIS agents who had been sent to escort them up. He couldn't stop the grin that crossed his face at the sight of them. While their initial meeting had been filled with mistrust and suspicion on both sides, Ed was fairly confident that he could say that by the end of their adventure, the BAU team had been firmly added to the list of people he actually enjoyed being around. He had no way of knowing that they also counted the blond- and raven-haired alchemists among their friends and that they had missed them when they left for Amestris, believing that they'd never see them again.

"Welcome to NCIS," Vance was saying. "I've heard plenty of stories from your director about your team's successes. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." He offered his hand for Agent Hotchner to shake.

"Thank you for having us, especially on such short notice, Director Vance. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. We've followed a couple of your major cases; in case we were asked to step in and held. We were all very impressed with how you handled the Port-to-Port Killer," Hotch replied as he shook Vance's hand. He looked past the Director and spotted Ed and Mustang and smiled, although there was a look of surprise on his face at the same time. "I see you've joined us once again, Colonel Mustang. Edward didn't mention that you were here too."

"It's Brigadier General, actually," Mustang corrected as he rose to his feet. "And I couldn't have left Fullmetal in your world without proper supervision. You'd have had a lot of property damage on your hands."

" _If_ that were true – and I'm not admitting to _anything_ – Alphonse would have been everyone's first choice to accompany me, and Captain Hawkeye after him," Ed snapped back. "Besides, the only reason you're here at all is because your dumb arse fell for the same trap I did, so don't try to make it sound like you came here voluntarily. At least I have the excuse that I didn't have anyone to warn me about the trap." He smirked as Mustang sighed.

"You are never going to let me live that down are you?" he asked wearily, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Edward chirped. "It's good blackmail material."

"I could court-martial you, you know," Mustang threatened half-heartedly, but Edward didn't get a chance to retort as the other FBI agents decided they were tired of waiting and Ed found himself engulfed in a joint hug from Garcia and JJ.

"Hi, JJ, Miss Garcia," he gasped out as the two blonde agents hugged him as hard as they dared before they let him go. Mustang was shaking hands with Hotch and Rossi and exchanging greetings with Morgan and Reid while JJ and Garcia fussed over the injuries they had just realised he had.

"Oh, Edward! Are you alright?" JJ asked, seeing him wince slightly as he pulled away and took a step backwards.

"I'm fine, JJ, I swear. I don't have any major injuries, and I'm definitely not as hurt as I was after the fight with Harding. I'm going to be bruised in the morning, that's all." His answer seemed to mollify the agents, but their faces were still pinched with concern. Prentiss' and Reid's approach stopped any further discussion about his injuries.

"Hello, Edward," Prentiss greeted him with a smile and a light hug. Reid smiled as well, before pulling him into a quick, one-armed hug. "What have you been up to since we last saw you?" she continued once Reid had released the teen.

"Not much," Edward shrugged casually. He glanced quickly at Mustang and the rest of the FBI agents who had been joined by Gibbs and Ziva. He looked back at Prentiss. "Al was in the hospital for a long time. He was only released a two months ago, so I've been looking after him or doing small missions for Mustang around Central City. After Al was released from the hospital and was well enough to not need round-the-clock care, I started taking missions further away from Central. Al actually got cleared to join me on my missions again the day before yesterday."

"I'm glad your brother is doing better, but what a way to celebrate him being cleared for missions," Prentiss said with a slight wince. The others nodded as they were finally joined by everyone else. Mustang and Ed exchanged greetings with whomever they hadn't at this point.

"Everyone is welcome to sit at the table and help themselves to lunch," Vance said once all the greetings were completed. "From what I saw of your reactions to seeing Edward during our call in MTAC, I figured that your team wouldn't be stopping for lunch, so I took the liberty of ordering lunch for everyone."

The agents murmured their thanks and helped themselves to the pizza boxes arranged on the table. Ed took another slice for himself as everyone settled down around the table. Small talk reigned once again, though this time it was mainly between the BAU and the alchemists. The NCIS agents seemed to be content to wait and listen until everyone had eaten their fill. Finally, the small talk died away and there was a moment of silence.

"So," Gibbs immediately had all attention on him with that one word. "Why are the two of you back in our country?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Gibbs would never admit it to anyone, but he had no idea what to make of the two alchemists. His gut was telling him that they were good people, but years of being in the Marines, and then being a NCIS agent also told him that they were dangerous – much more dangerous than anyone he'd come up against. He knew that most of his reason for thinking that was because he simply had no information on them and their ability beyond what little they'd already explained, and that made him nervous in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt like he'd just walked into a room after being told the people inside could kill him before he had time to draw his weapon, but he hadn't been told how they could and he was being asked to trust that they wouldn't.

From the way Edward had reacted upon waking up in their parking lot, the teen was suspicious of them too. Gibbs had a feeling the only reason Edward had even stayed with them instead of bolting was because the alchemist's gut had been telling him that maybe the agents were good people and would help him.

Gibbs had known that Edward was tense and tightly wound, ready to escape at one wrong move from any of the agents, but he hadn't realised just how on edge the teen had been until they'd allowed him to make the phone call to the BAU team. As soon as Garcia had answered and recognised his voice, his whole posture had relaxed and some of the nervous tension had dissipated. No one had missed the way that Edward had moved out of striking distance when Vance had been speaking to Garcia, or the way he'd pulled away from DiNozzo and Gibbs in MTAC. All of those incidents, minor as they were, added up and made Gibbs suspect that something bad had happened to the blond alchemist in the past.

Then there had been the battle in the parking lot. He still had no real idea how the exactly the teen had realised something was happening while they were in MTAC. It had been rather unsettling to witness those golden eyes becoming engulfed in electric blue light as the alchemist did _something_ before he tried to take off. When Gibbs had grabbed his arm, trying to get more information, Edward had wrenched himself free. For a split second, so quickly that Gibbs would have missed it if he hadn't seen it thousands of times before, there had been fear in those golden eyes before they turned angry and defiant.

When they'd caught up to him in the parking lot, just in time to see him skid to a stop and take a protective stance in front of the still form of Mustang, it had been apparent that Edward wasn't one to back down from a potential fight. They'd seen the failed attack that Edward had launched, heard the taunts from Moore, and heard Ed's biting reply. As one they'd raised their SIGs, aiming for Moore, since they'd identified him as the threat. Gibbs had been standing closest to Edward and was the only one who had a clear view of what had happened next. Red energy had sparked from inside Moore's fist, but then suddenly there was a wall in front of them, blue energy crackling across it before the wall disintegrated as Gibbs watched Edward get thrown back into the sedan with enough force to crumple the door panel.

It was obvious to everyone that Edward was the far superior fighter as the fight went on, even if Moore had managed to land a few hits. Then Edward had Moore's wrist trapped and had simply _squeezed_. He hadn't twisted Moore's arm, or attempted to put him in a lock of some kind. The sickening, wet _snap_ of Moore's wrist and arm breaking had been clearly audible and Moore had wailed, blood draining from his face as he dropped something small and red that Gibbs now knew was a Philosopher's Stone. Edward had kicked it out of reach before releasing Moore's wrist. Unfortunately, that had given Moore an opening to pull out a second Stone and blast Edward backwards again.

Edward had rolled with the landing, but all of the agents had been able to tell that the teen was dazed and hurt. Shouted warnings from the agents, even a series of fired rounds had only been a waste of breath and bullets. Everyone had forgotten about the man Edward had been protecting until a stream of fire had intercepted Moore's next attack, saving Edward. The blond hadn't been impressed, however, but the fire attack had given Edward the time he needed to recover and retaliate. Unfortunately, Moore had used the flames as cover to escape.

Now they were in Vance's office, boxes of pizza on the table and six FBI agents and one FBI technical analyst sitting with them while they made small talk about the alchemists' home country and anything that had happened in the months it had apparently been since they last saw each other. Gibbs still wasn't entirely sure what to make of the two Amestrians, but he knew one thing: he trusted Edward completely and, by extension, he trusted Mustang.

There was absolutely no reason for Edward to have protected them from that initial attack of Moore's, and Gibbs wasn't stupid enough to believe that Edward didn't realise Moore would attack him while the teen was busy protecting them. He also hadn't been offended by DiNozzo's outburst in MTAC, and he was patient enough to explain and answer their questions. The way he reacted when questions about why he didn't hold onto Moore after breaking his wrist – his absolute disgust at the thought of intentionally causing more pain than strictly necessary to an enemy, in fact – confirmed what Gibbs' gut was telling him: Edward was a good person.

"So, why are the two of you back in our country?" Gibbs asked. All attention turned to Edward, who sighed.

"It wasn't intentional," the teen said. "I think I mentioned when Doctor Mallard was looking at my arm earlier that I was in pursuit of a known thief who was wanted in connection with some breaking and entering and burglary charges. It's not the kind of mission I normally take on, but the military police were having a hard time tracking him. One of the homes he targeted belonged to a Brigadier General named Smythe – recently promoted, and kind of an ass."

"Fullmetal, you know you can't speak about members of the High Command like that," Mustang groaned.

"Sure I can. I call you a bastard all the time because it's true. And you can't deny Smythe is an ass. He's been throwing his weight around since his promotion." Ed turned his attention back to Gibbs. "After his house was hit by Moore, Smythe pulled some strings and had the case assigned to Mustang for some reason, even though it's not really the type of case we get. Mustang, the lazy bastard that he is, dumped it onto me." Edward leaned back in his chair.

Mustang let out a long-suffering sigh. "I was too busy dealing with all the new responsibilities my promotion has brought. If you'd accepted your promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, you'd be able to start putting a team together that you could've assigned to it."

Edward glared at him at the mention of a promotion. "Fuck your promotion. Unlike some people, I don't give two shits about my rank."

"Wait, so you said you don't normally chase down common thieves, right?" McGee asked and both alchemists nodded. "So what do you do then?"

"Mustang and I are both State Alchemists," Edward explained. "Now that he's a Brigadier General, Mustang is technically the second-in-command for the entire State Alchemist branch, under Major General Andrews, so most of his day involves paperwork, when he's not being a lazy bastard. But there are a lot of different missions I take on. Sometimes I pursue and arrest rogue alchemists, other times I do mine inspections since as an alchemist I know a lot about minerals and soil content. Sometimes I check in with other State Alchemists and collect reports on their research." He shrugged. "I'm a dog of the military, so I do whatever Mustang orders me to do."

"That's rich, coming from you," Mustang muttered. "I can count on one hand the times when you've obeyed orders without arguing or being reminded."

Ed snarled at his commander, golden eyes flashing.

"What exactly is a State Alchemist?" Ziva asked. "You've mentioned it several times, like it's different from just being an alchemist."

"Yes and no," Ed said. "A State Alchemist is an alchemist that's been certified and sponsored by the government – specifically the military. Any alchemist who wishes is permitted to take the exam to become a State Alchemist, but the selection process is rigorous and demanding. Over ninety percent of the applicants each year are rejected – on average only one or two are selected each year. State Alchemists are one of the elite units of the military. In exchange for serving the military, State Alchemists receive huge yearly research grants, military pay, and automatically receive the rank of Major."

"So you're a Major? At age seventeen?" DiNozzo asked, shocked.

Edward nodded. "Anyway, Al and I had received the file on Moore yesterday and spent the day going over the file and visiting the crime scenes to figure out how he was managing to pull off the crimes. Moore had a pretty thick file – lots of muggings and assaults over the last five years or so, but his most recent spree had involved a series of home robberies. We noticed that Moore started with three middle-class homes before hitting a well-secured alcohol store. Then he went after General Smythe's house before he de-escalated and hit another middle-class home. The pattern didn't make any sense to us. Why would he target a trio of relatively easy houses, and then escalate to the alcohol store before going after a general? Not to mention that going after the general was essentially a death wish, considering that the general had hired an alchemist to place traps around his property, as well as having guards there at all times. But somehow Moore successfully robbed the general, only to de-escalate and rob another middle-class family. We spent the night going over theories and gathering as much information about Moore as we could. I thought it was just dumb luck today that we literally ran into him as he left a jewelry store he'd just robbed. But now, looking back on it, I think it was all part of Moore's trap," he admitted.

"Explain," Mustang ordered instantly. "Please," he tacked on when he caught the glare that Ed was sending his way.

"The amount of dust and debris that was covering the floor in the warehouse was thick enough that neither Al nor I spotted any sign of the array. That means the array had to have been there for a while – at least two months. It also wasn't drawn with chalk – it was painted onto the floor. I think Moore robbed the General, knowing that since he was new to his rank, Smythe would pull rank and order you to investigate him. If that is true then he also had to know that you would order me to investigate him. If robbing the General wasn't enough to get one of us on his trail, I think he would have probably staged something more overt to indicate that alchemy was involved. I think, once he knew Al and I were investigating, he hung around the area where we found him, and robbed the jewelry store once he saw us go into the liquor store."

"Why would he do that? If he was wanted by the police, why would he hang around in the open?" DiNozzo asked.

"Alphonse theorized that he robbed that particular jewelry store because it was close to the escape route he planned for himself," Ed explained, keeping his attention focused on Mustang, even as he answered DiNozzo. "But after everything that happened, I think he led us there deliberately. He sent me here, but he allowed me to get Al out of the circle because he needed someone to report in and tell you what happened. He needed someone to lure you in, and Alphonse had nothing to do with Harding's death. I think Moore planned on sending both of us here so he could get revenge for Harding's death, but he didn't know we would have people here we could turn to for help, since we never mentioned the agents in our report. I think his plan was to trap us in this dimension, take us out with the Stones, and then live here like he and Harding had planned."

"You think he's that smart?" Mustang asked.

Ed looked contemplative for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think he's smart like we are or like these agents are, but I think he's smarter than we originally gave him credit for, based on his criminal record. He's been arrested before and he's lived his life on the street. He had Harding looking after him for most of his life. He's used the stuff he's learned from all of that, and his anger at us to come up with this plan. I'd imagine that there aren't many people in Central who don't know that I'm – unfortunately for me – your subordinate. It's also kinda well known in the military that you're protective of those under your command. I'm sure Harding told Moore everything that was going on in the military, so Moore must have known that if something happened to me, Captain Hawkeye, or someone else on your team, you'd investigate it yourself."

Ed's words were met with silence as the agents took in what he said.

"Okay, so he's smarter than you gave him credit for," Morgan said, reminding the two alchemists that there were other people in the room. "What happened when you caught up to him, Ed?"

Ed shifted in his chair. "Well, like I said, we ran into him coming out of that jewelry store. Al and I chased him and we ended up in the warehouse district of Central, but we lost him. Al and I assumed he'd escaped and we were about to leave to report back to Mustang when Moore fired a shot at Alphonse." Mustang winced and the other agents noticed.

"General Mustang? What's wrong?" Reid asked.

"Alphonse is Fullmetal's only remaining family, and Fullmetal is understandably protective of him, especially after everything they've been through in the last few years, and with Al just having recovered from a long hospitalisation," Mustang explained. "By shooting at Alphonse, even if he didn't hit him, Moore would not only have given away his location, he would have gotten Fullmetal's full attention."

"Damn cowardly bastard," Edward muttered. "Anyway, we caught up with Moore in the warehouse where he was hiding. It wasn't until we were halfway across the array that Moore told us everything. Harding was his family, basically his brother in all but blood. He was devastated by his death and enraged over the fact that Mustang and I didn't tell the truth on our reports. We never mentioned this dimension or the agents who helped us. We told the military that we chased Harding to the middle of nowhere – there are lots of places in Amestris that are undeveloped and unsettled – and that Harding's body was completely destroyed by Mustang's flame alchemy during the fight. We couldn't tell them the truth, but Moore knew about Harding being in his dimension because they'd planned to come here. Harding was supposed to get something set up for them before coming back to Amestris and getting Moore, but we got to Harding first, thanks to Truth calling in its favour."

Edward swallowed and everyone noticed the sudden shift in his temperament. "So, Moore flashed a Stone, the dust disappeared and Al and I realised what we were standing on. Moore told us about how he was going to get Mustang and me back and I managed to get Alphonse off of the array before it was fully activated. I fell through the portal and blacked out when I hit the ground in the parking lot. The NCIS agents were heading somewhere else when I appeared and after I came to, they talked me into coming inside to get cleaned up and have my injuries looked at. Director Vance let me call you guys and now you're here," Ed finished, giving the FBI agents a small grin that most of them returned.

"So, what happened to you, Brigadier General?" Vance asked.

"Don't feed his ego, Director, please," Edward half-begged the director. "Once we go home, I'm the one who'll have to put up with it!" Garcia reached over and patted Ed's arm consolingly.

Mustang smirked at Edward's expression. "Alphonse managed to restrain Moore after Fullmetal disappeared," he said. "From what he told me, Moore surrendered immediately. Once Moore was secure, Alphonse left him in the warehouse and went to find a phone to call my office. He told me what had happened, so my team and I headed over to the warehouse. I ordered my team to split up to look for Fullmetal, just in case the array sent him somewhere nearby while I went up to interrogate Moore. Alphonse was beside himself with worry for his brother, but he told me what had happened in more detail. I'll admit that I hadn't really thought about what Al had said once I saw the array. In his massive worry for his brother, I believe Alphonse forgot entirely about the Stone and forgot to check Moore for them. Even though he'd told me Moore had at least one, I didn't even take it into consideration before I acted. Moore escaped his bonds, thanks to the Stone and tackled me before activating the array with both of us inside it. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the car park in time to see Fullmetal being attacked by Moore. I intercepted the attack but Moore used my flames as cover to escape."

He leaned back in his chair once he finished speaking; he was watching the agents consider his story with a calm, even look in his onyx eyes. He glanced between them and Edward, making sure that the younger alchemist hadn't been affected by talking about Harding, as he knew that was still a sensitive subject for the teenager.

"So we're dealing with another rogue alchemist?" Hotch asked bluntly. Mustang and Edward exchanged a glance and he jumped on it. "What was that look about?"

"Moore's not an alchemist," Edward admitted and held up his hand to stop any questions before they could be voiced. "He _is_ using alchemy, don't get me wrong, but he's _not_ an alchemist. He's had no training as an alchemist, and he admitted to Al and me that before he and Harding found the Stones…" Ed paused and looked over at Mustang. "Actually, that's something we never investigated. We never learned where Harding found the Stones, or where he found the array that allowed him to dimension hop in the first place."

"You're right, Fullmetal. We'll have to look into that once we're back in Central," Mustang agreed.

"About Moore?" Rossi asked, redirecting the alchemists' attention.

"Right, sorry," Ed apologised. "He admitted that before they found the Stones he was worthless as an alchemist. The Stones have amplified what little talent he has and made it so he doesn't have to abide by alchemic law."

"So, if he doesn't have the training that will make our job easier, right?" Garcia asked, hopeful that Edward's clarification meant there was less danger to her family. Her hopes sunk when Ed and Mustang both shook their heads.

"No. In fact, this could very well make him even more dangerous," Mustang told her, his tone serious, but also filled with regret.

"How?" DiNozzo asked.

"Because he has no clue what he's doing. He has no idea how alchemy works, he has no clue about the Stones beyond 'they make my alchemy more powerful'. He doesn't understand the kind of power he's got, and that will make him dangerous," Edward replied, but DiNozzo and a few others didn't look like it had clicked for them.

"Think of it this way. Those Stones are a gun. Moore is a small child. He's likely to kill himself or someone around him because he hasn't been taught how to handle a gun or what the consequences of pointing it at someone and pulling the trigger are," Mustang explained. "Moore knows the Stones are powerful and he knows he wants to kill us, but he doesn't know that those Stones will eventually run out of uses. Each time he uses them, he is one use closer to his intended transmutation failing, and that is not something that people come out of unscathed."

"Rebounds are nothing to laugh at," Edward said, his tone solemnly serious.

"What's a rebound?" McGee asked.

"Do you remember what I told you about the three laws of alchemy?" Edward countered. McGee nodded. "A rebound occurs when the transmutation is unbalanced or violates one of those laws. A failed transmutation backlashes onto the alchemist who performed it. The damage done to the alchemist is directly proportional to the amount of energy required for the transmutation. It could be as simple as a paper cut, or could ultimately end in death."

"So you could kill yourself performing alchemy?" Ziva asked.

Edward and Mustang nodded. "Alchemy is an extremely powerful art," Edward explained. "But it's also a science, and requires precise calculations and exact understanding of what you're attempting to transmute. The art comes in how you perform the transmutation – the more skilled and practiced you are, the more creative you can become. Just like any other discipline, however, misusing it or not giving it the respect it deserves can have negative consequences."

"What's more," Mustang inserted himself back into the conversation, diverting their attention away from discussions of death and rebounds, "from what Fullmetal told me about the fight here, the transmutations Moore has used thus far are ones that are very popular fighting moves amongst alchemists. You saw Fullmetal make those daggers out of the car, and then saw Moore make the same ones out of the material the ground was made from. I believe he's mimicking moves that he's heard about or seen with his own eyes. He not only doesn't know much about the Stones, he only knows the bare minimum about basic alchemy. He doesn't have any grounding in the biology, chemistry, and physics needed to understand the different arrays. This makes him dangerous because he is untrained in the weapon he is using."

"For the moment, we have another advantage," Ed said, trying to give them something positive to counter what Mustang had told him. "He's badly hurt, and I suspect that he doesn't know that he can heal himself with the Stones. It's not well known in Amestris that alchemy can be used to heal. Creta, one of our bordering countries, has amazing healing arrays, but our countries have only recently started communicating with our words and not our weapons, so we haven't actually seen these arrays or been able to send someone over there to study them. From what we do know, however, only someone with extensive medical knowledge could perform them anyway. Another neighbouring country, Xing, has something called alkahestry, which is similar to alchemy, but it's not similar enough that I could use it without a lot of study. So, for the most part, Amestrian alchemists don't know alchemy can be used to heal. Since we've already established that Moore isn't even an alchemist, he wouldn't know about the healing arrays, so he's probably still out there with the injuries I dealt him."

Ed noticed the glances exchanged by the FBI agents once he'd finished his explanation. He caught Reid's eye and raised a questioning brow.

"You said Harding and Moore were basically like brothers, right?" Reid asked and Ed nodded. "Well, we saw Harding heal himself when we fought him in New York. Wouldn't he have told his brother about something that important?"

Ed saw everyone's interest pique and simultaneously everyone leaned forward in their seats, waiting for his response. "Yes, but I'm confident that Harding discovered he could heal himself while he was in this dimension. Mustang and I took him out before he could go home and share that information with his brother. Though there is the chance that Moore will figure it out by accident because the universe is a special kind of asshole and seems to have it out for me," he added with a grumble, slumping back in his chair petulantly. Several of the agents (Morgan, Prentiss, and DiNozzo) snorted at that.

"Could he go to a hospital to be treated?" Mustang asked. Ed sat up straight again.

"He could," Hotch said after a moment. "Doctors take an oath to protect their patients' confidentiality, so the police won't get a call if Moore tells them he doesn't want to file an assault report. We can put out feelers at hospitals and GP clinics for someone matching Moore's description and wounds. Do you think he's likely to go to a hospital?" Hotch asked and Ed didn't even have to think before he responded.

"With the injuries I inflicted on him? He probably should." Some of the agents looked surprised and some looked a little skeptical. Ed wanted to roll his eyes, but somehow restrained himself. "That wound to his shoulder was deep. I made those throwing knives almost four inches long, and it was buried into his shoulder up to its hilt. Then there was his arm…" Ed winced a little bit.

"You broke it," Gibbs said.

Ed's golden eyes locked with the agent's ice-blue ones. "I didn't break it. I _crushed_ it. At the bare minimum I crushed his wrist and snapped one of his arm bones. It's also possible I snapped both of his arm bones. If he hasn't discovered healing alchemy, he'd need surgery to fix his arm if he ever wants it to mend properly." A few of the agents looked slightly pale.

"How'd you manage that?" Morgan asked after a moment, morbid curiosity getting the best of him. Ed raised his right hand and waggled his fingers at him. Morgan's mouth fell open in a silent 'oh' of understanding, and he nodded, leaning back in his chair. The same understanding flashed across the faces of the rest of the BAU team, but the NCIS agents looked even more confused. DiNozzo and McGee started at his hand as if they could figure it out if they stared hard enough.

Edward lowered his hand self-consciously and looked away from their discerning, curious gazes. He didn't want to have to explain about his automail. He _hated_ being regarded with pity when people realised he was an amputee at his age – not just an amputee, but a _double_ amputee. He felt a hand on his left shoulder and looked over to see Mustang gripping it lightly.

"You should probably tell them," he said gently, and not at all unkindly. Edward still hesitated and Mustang understood why. People in Amestris weren't always kind to those with automail, treating them like freaks and insulting them for having it, even though it was designed to make life easier for those who needed it. He was certain Edward hadn't been spared that treatment just because of his age or military rank. "They'll find out anyway, considering you create your go-to weapon out of it," he added and saw Ed reluctantly accept the truth of his words.

Edward sighed and fisted his right hand for a moment before relaxing and slowly removing his glove. He held up his hand again, wiggling the fingers so the metal glinted in the lights overhead.

"You have a metal hand," DiNozzo pointed out bluntly. Gibbs smacked him across the back of the head and sent him a Look that had Tony looking sheepish. "Sorry," he added hastily, as Edward slid his glove back on.

"Don't worry about it," Edward shrugged nonchalantly as he fidgeted with the edge of the glove, situating it _just so_ against his wrist. Mustang wasn't the only one who saw that the comment had a bit more of an effect than Ed was letting on. Edward cleared his throat. "It's called automail. It's our world's answer to prosthesis. It's much stronger than a normal limb, and it's why I was able to crush Moore's wrist. The only way he wouldn't have gotten injured from my grip is if his arm was automail as well, and even then it would have to be as good as, or better than, mine."

Mustang squeezed his shoulder a little more tightly before he removed his hand entirely. Ed would never admit to anyone that he missed the touch, just a little. He could see the question a couple of them wanted to ask but were hesitant to, and he rolled his eyes. He'd rather field a few questions than have them dancing on eggshells around him, pitying him for what he'd lost. "Just ask," he said, keeping his eyes on Ziva, DiNozzo, and McGee. The men looked a little guilty at being so transparent in their curiosity.

"How much of your arm is automail?" Ziva asked, showing no shame at how curious she was. Ed could appreciate that directness.

"The entirety of it, including the shoulder joint - and approximately three-quarters of my left leg," he replied, rapping his knuckles against his leg at the point where his automail joined his flesh. He heard sharp inhales coming from the NCIS group. "To put it simply, I got caught in an alchemic rebound when I was younger, and I paid the price," he said sharply. "Don't ask anything more about how it happened, because I won't tell you." His golden eyes flashed, daring them to try. No one was dumb enough to challenge that golden gaze.

"How does it move so well?" McGee asked carefully. "If you hadn't shown us that it was metal, I wouldn't have guessed."

"There's a port attached where my shoulder joint would be," Edward explained. "The port is attached to each of the nerves in my arm that control movement, and the arm is plugged into the port. Automail is a great tool for those who've lost limbs, but there are as many downsides as there are benefits to having it."

"Downsides?" Gibbs asked.

Edward nodded. "It's expensive to get in the first place, and even more expensive to maintain, and it does require periodic maintenance by the mechanic who installed it, so depending on where you live and where your mechanic lives, there may also be travel fees involved. Automailers also have to be careful in extreme temperatures – the metal is literally grafted to your skin, so it's much easier to get burns or frostbite. The worst part is the surgery and installation. It's excruciatingly painful, and you have to be fully awake and aware through the whole thing. Because the port is being attached to each of your nerves, if painkillers or anesthetics were used, it could mask an incorrect connection that could cause lingering pain or cause automail rejection. If you break your limb or grow out of it, your mechanic will have to make and attach a new one. Every time the limb is removed and then reattached, the nerves have to reconnect and that hurts just as much as the initial surgery."

An awkward silence followed Edward's explanation, but the teen kept his eyes on his audience, waiting to see if there would be any more questions.

"Okay, so now we've all caught up on what happened today," Morgan broke the silence. "We need to come up with a plan to find Moore and detain him."

Vance nodded. "I'm going to assume that you want to take him back to your own country to stand trial for the robberies?"

Mustang nodded after a moment. "Yes, but at this point it won't just be for the robberies. He'll likely face further charges of assault and attempted murder of two State Alchemists, but that will be up to the prosecutor who gets the case."

Vance nodded again before looking contemplatively at the BAU agents. "Would your team be interested in a joint investigation?" Hotch raised an eyebrow. "There was, after all, a random attack against the headquarters of a federal agency and one of our diplomatic guests who has asked to remain anonymous, and I believe we could use some help profiling him. Officially, that is."

"And unofficially?" Rossi asked, his brow raised in an identical fashion to Hotch's.

Vance's eyes glinted with approval and good humour. "Unofficially, you've gone up against a rogue alchemist wielding a Stone before. Your experience may be helpful to us. There is also the fact that, right now, Edward and Brigadier General Mustang certainly trust you more than they trust us."

Edward groaned theatrically about the use of Mustang's rank, muttering about how the man's ego was going to get big enough to fill his entire office. Mustang ruffled his hair, knowing how much the teen hated it and was rewarded with a snarl and a muttered promise of revenge as Edward fixed his hair. JJ and Garcia smiled at the exchange between the two alchemists.

Rossi and Hotch seemed to have a silent conversation before coming to an equally silent agreement. "We'd be happy to offer any assistance we can," Hotch told him before he gave Vance a rare, small smile. "You'll have to coordinate with our boss, Erin Strauss, however. We didn't give her a proper reason when we left Quantico. Technically, we've been placed on emergency-call only so we can catch up on some overdue paperwork."

Mustang made a victorious noise and Edward rolled his eyes. "I'd imagine that their reason for not being up-to-date on their paperwork is because they've been busy catching serial killers or psychopaths. Your only excuse, Mustang, is that you're a lazy bastard with a death wish and a vague fantasy of finally being successful at avoiding your paperwork and Captain Hawkeye's bullets."

Mustang made an indignant noise at the insinuation of his work habits that caused Edward to look thoroughly unimpressed. "I'm a Brigadier General at the age of thirty, Fullmetal. I wouldn't have been promoted if I couldn't or wouldn't handle my responsibilities."

"Not counting today when Al called you to let you know about Moore, the last mission you got off your ass to investigate yourself instead of pawning it off to me or someone else on your team was when Harding was reported AWOL."

Mustang spluttered a bit, but he knew he couldn't refute that statement. Ed smirked at his commander's defeat and the scowl that Mustang sent him in response. Their exchange caused a rippled of amusement to flow through the group.

"I'll contact Erin. She owes me a favour, and I'm going to cash it in," Vance assured Hotch and his team.

"Well, then it looks like we'll be working together," Hotch said with a nod. "Where do you want to start?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

 _NCIS Forensic Lab…_

Abby Sciuto was in the middle of a staring competition with Major Mass-Spec when Ducky entered her lab, much to the black-haired woman's surprise. "Ducky!" she cried as she wrapped him up in an enthusiastic hug before she dragged him over to stand in front of her mass-spectrometer. "Tell Major Mass-Spec to play nice," she whined as she glared at the aforementioned machine.

"What's he doing?" Ducky asked, frowning at the machine in confusion. He didn't understand the technical workings of most of the machines in the forensic scientist's lab, but he knew she was very attached to her things and was happy to play along.

"He's not co-operating. He needs to run samples for a case Agent Miller's working on and his first two results were weird," she explained, pouting slightly.

Ducky turned a disappointed look at the machine. "You give Abby the results she needs, please," he scolded the machine sternly. He was rewarded with a blindingly bright smile from his co-worker.

"Thanks, Ducky," she said as she squeezed him with the arm she had wrapped around his shoulder. Her platform, knee-high leather boots squeaked a little as she abruptly turned to face him, her twin pigtails swinging with the movement. "What brings you up here, Ducky? More samples?" she asked, glancing at his empty hands.

"Nothing like that, my dear," he chuckled lightly. "No, I merely wanted to see what you thought about young Edward?"

She gave him a confused look. "Who's Edward?"

Ducky frowned. He would have sworn that Abby would have met him by now. She always seemed to know everything that was going on within the building. "The teenager Gibbs and the others had with them." Abby shook her head, indicating that it still wasn't ringing a bell for her. "He was brought to see me, oh, about two hours ago. He had a few minor injuries – nothing serious. I patched him up and they left. I thought for certain Gibbs would have brought him up to see you by now."

Abby pouted and leaned against the edge of one of her worktables. "No, I haven't seen Gibbs or anyone all day. I haven't gotten any samples from any crime scene with their names on it today either. If this Edward was involved in one of their cases, it would have to be an old one, but even then Gibbs would have asked me to pull things up from evidence to run again, and he hasn't." She moved over to her desk, sat down, and opened her email to make sure she hadn't missed anything, Ducky following her dutifully. "I haven't had an email from anyone asking me to pull up an old case." She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair as she spun to face Ducky. She was surprised to see that he didn't appear to be surprised by her words.

"I doubt Edward is involved in one of our cases, old or current," Ducky said.

"Why do you say that?" Abby asked curiously.

"The way he appeared was rather unusual. I assumed you already knew because I thought Gibbs had brought him to meet you by now," Ducky explained apologetically.

"How'd he turn up?" Abby asked, waving off the unnecessary apology. She leaned forward in her seat; curiosity written on her face.

"He appeared out of the sky from a flash of light as Gibbs and the others left to respond to a case," Ducky told her and she laughed.

"That's a good one, Ducky," she giggled before catching sight of the medical examiner's face and her laughter stopped abruptly. "Wait…are you serious?" she asked.

Ducky nodded. "Quite so, my dear. Gibbs and Ziva told me all about it while we were waiting for the young lad to get cleaned up."

Abby was gob smacked. She knew Gibbs, and to an extent Ziva, wouldn't make something like this up, but the idea was just so absurd that she couldn't believe it without evidence. She immediately spun her chair back so she was facing her computer and started typing furiously.

"What are you doing?" Ducky asked as he watched her fingers fly across the keyboard.

"Accessing our security cameras," she answered and Ducky leaned over her shoulder to see what she pulled up. "I'm assuming they were in the parking lot when he appeared, if they were leaving to respond to a call out? Roughly what time?"

"You'd be correct and they were in the morgue by eleven-thirty, so maybe eleven?" Ducky theorized and Abby nodded, pulling up the camera feed for the parking lot. She entered the time code that she wanted and they saw Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and Tony already in the parking lot, their guns drawn and aimed at a young boy. Abby rewound the feed a few minutes. At ten-fifty-three, they watched as the four agents left the building together and headed for the van, only to stop in their tracks as a flash of light appeared above and to the left of them, just before a body dropped from it.

The camera wasn't able to pick up much sound due to its distance from the scene, but they saw the person, identified as Edward by Ducky, stand up after about a moment and move into a defensive stance as the four agents drew their weapons. Vance appeared on screen and the group talked for a moment, the teen's body language radiating mistrust and caution, before the growing crowed dispersed at Vance's orders. It took a couple of minutes after that, but eventually Edward was entering the building with the agents. The camera footage kept playing as the two of them stared at it, neither of them having truly believed what they'd heard until just now.

"He fell six meters to the ground," Abby said disbelievingly.

"I know," Ducky was equally shocked. He hadn't even realised that he hadn't fully believed Gibbs until just that moment.

"From a flash of light," Abby continued. "There wasn't anything there he could have fallen from. He just appeared from that light." She jumped up from her chair, startling Ducky enough that he almost fell over from where he had been half-leaning on her desk to see the monitors.

"I know," he said, trying to calm her down, but she was already pacing in front of her desk.

"How does that even happen?" she asked, throwing her hands into the air as she faced the elderly man before resuming her pacing. "I mean, _seriously_! What is the explanation for that? People don't just fall from the sky without any cause. It looked like magic or something!" She stopped in her tracks before looking at Ducky with a strange expression on her face. "Maybe it _was_ magic. Maybe he's magic. Or he's an alien," she breathed, starting to sound a bit awed.

"I don't know about magic, but I doubt he's an alien, Abby," Ducky told her. He saw her mouth open and guessed the question she was about to ask. "Remember, I examined him after he had a chance to get cleaned up. He's definitely human. Although…" he trailed off, obviously not realising that he'd started that thought out loud as he recalled something that he'd noticed during the exam.

"Although what?" Abby demanded.

Ducky shook his head. "He had the most unusually coloured eyes." She gestured at him, rather impatiently, to elaborate. "His irises were gold. I don't mean light brown, or amber, I mean they were gold. The same shade as his hair, in fact."

Abby's eyes widened. "I've never, ever heard of someone with gold eyes. There's no way he's from around here. I don't think gold eyes are even genetically possible," she whispered before dodging around Ducky and reclaiming her seat. She began typing furiously and brought up a few more camera feeds.

"What are you doing now?" Ducky asked, leaning forward to look over her shoulder again, his brow creased quizzically.

"Going through more of the camera feeds. I wanna see if he does anything else weird," she replied and he leaned in a little closer. She gave him a little smirk as she pulled up four cameras that she thought would be the most useful. Together, they watched as Edward was escorted from the showers down to the morgue to get his injuries looked at, and then lead back up through the bullpen to the conference room where the team usually put family members or people who weren't suspects to interview them. She switched to the camera feed for the conference room and watched Edward make a phone call, Vance and McGee walking in a few moments later. They saw how Edward handed over the phone and moved immediately out of reach while Vance spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line.

The whole group left the conference room and Abby tracked them through the cameras to MTAC. Since there weren't any cameras she could access inside MTAC, she placed the recording on fast-forward so they weren't watching in real-time. "What do you think they're talking about in there? Maybe Edward is from some hidden country, like Wakanda," Abby mused out loud as they waited for the group to reappear.

"Wakanda?" Ducky asked, rather curious and not recognising the reference.

Abby flashed him a grin. "It's a fictional country out of a comic book, Duckster." She patted his arm as he gave her an 'ah' of understanding. There was movement on the camera, a red and gold blur that Abby barely glimpsed and she re-wound the feed before playing it back. They watched Edward burst out of MTAC at a run, nearly slamming into the balustrade, before he placed his hands on the rail and vaulted over it in one smooth motion, landing on the stairs in a crouch. He sprang up and used his momentum to leap from the stairs to the ground before moving into a flat sprint through the bullpen to the elevator. He was inside before Gibbs and the others were even on the staircase, moving too quickly for any of the other agents to do more than gape at him, let alone try to grab him. "Wow, he can move," she commented and she flipped through the camera feeds until she found him in the parking lot once again.

"He must've had some sort of training to land a move like that without hurting himself." Ducky sounded a little like he wanted to lecture the boy for his recklessness, but soon their attention was grabbed by two more figures falling from the sky. Abby opened her mouth to say something, but she felt her jaw drop instead as she watched the ensuing fight unfold.

They barely breathed as they watched one of the two newcomers engage Edward in a battle, the ground actually rippling and changing under the influence of whatever they were doing as blue and red energy crackled around them. Abby let out a gasp of terror as she saw an attack being launched at her family. She felt her heart warm up to the blond teen as he used his powers to intercept the attack, despite the fact that he had to know that he would leave himself wide open to be attacked. She and Ducky gave a both full body wince as Edward was slammed into the sedan. The rest of the fight kept them similarly enraptured. It ended when the second stranger who'd fallen from the sky unleashed some kind of pyro attack that had Abby falling a little in love with him, saving Edward from the knives being hurled his way while he was dazed. They watched as Edward and the team realised that the man had disappeared, a short conversation following before Edward scribbled something on the back of his hand with a pen he borrowed from McGee before he touched it. After a moment, he moved towards the center of the destruction, clapped his hands, and crouched down, pressing his palms to the ground. Blue energy crackled outward, once again changing everything it passed over, and restoring the parking lot to what it had been before the battle. Although Abby couldn't say the same thing about the sedan Edward was thrown into.

"Did we seriously just watch a magic fight?" Abby asked as soon as she was able to pick her jaw back up off the floor. Ducky was at a loss for words, a rarity for the Englishman. "I mean, there is no other feasible explanation my science brain can think up right now. Those three men used magic, or something very similar! I need to know what happened!" Her tone was becoming more enthusiastic and energetic. "I need all the details! I…I need to talk to McGee!" Abby said decisively as she picked up her phone and dialed McGee's cell phone, only for it to go to voice mail. "Timothy McGee, you call me back the second you get this. No! You come down to my lab the moment you've listened to this! I need to know how and why there's a real-life wizard in our building! Get your skinny butt down here or there will be consequences!" She put the phone back in its cradle a tad harder than necessary.

The sound seemed to break Ducky out of his shock. "My dear, I think we just witnessed real magic," he finally said, eyes twinkling with glee as Abby grinned back at him. At that moment, his brain finally finished processing everything he saw and he scowled slightly. "Edward was injured. No one has called me to check his injuries. Where is he now?"

Abby checked for him and they watched as he and the black-haired man who had helped him disappeared into a small office space and emerged several minutes later. Ziva and McGee escorted them through the bullpen and up to Director Vance's office. Abby rolled through the film and they were surprised to see seven people escorted up to Vance's office by McGee and Tony an hour or so after Edward and his friend had. "I don't think they've left the Director's office, Ducky," Abby told him as the footage continued to roll and no one entered or left. "Who do you think those people were?" she asked curiously. She had a nagging feeling she recognised a couple of them from somewhere, but she wasn't able to place them.

"I think you'll find they're federal agents of some sort," Ducky told her. The way they walked and their general body language in the video feed made him suspect as much.

Abby snapped her fingers suddenly. "They're FBI!" she exclaimed, fingers once again tapping away at her keyboard. The camera footage disappeared and a search engine took its place. Abby spoke as she typed. "They're part of an elite unit called the BAU. I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of them on TV before." Abby finished typing and began pulling up various articles and photos. "Yeah, here they are," Abby murmured as she found one photo that had all seven agents in it. "So, this was taken when they were in Franklin, Alaska. According to the article, the agents are Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Emily Prentiss, Doctor Spencer Reid, and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia," Abby said, pointing to each person based on the caption below the photo.

"Well, that solves that mystery. I wonder why they're here though," Ducky mused out loud. Abby had to admit that she didn't really have any ideas. It was pretty well known that NCIS and the FBI didn't get along very well – Gibbs' habit of antagonizing agents from other agencies was well known, after all. As the only forensic scientist, she was privy to all the cases NCIS was working, and assuming there was a body involved, so was Ducky, yet neither of them could think of even one case the BAU would be called out for. Unless…

"They must be here because of those three magic users," Abby finally said. Ducky nodded in agreement. It was, after all, the only conclusion that made any sense, given what had happened that day.

Abby's lab phone's ringtone made them jump before she quickly snatched it up and – after glancing at the caller ID – answered in a demanding tone. "McGee! Why are you calling me? I told you to –" She was cut off by McGee's voice on the other end of the line, but Ducky couldn't make out what the other man was saying. Abby's eyes widened slightly before her lips curved in a grin that had a whisper of mischief about it. "Okay, we'll be up soon," she said, ending the conversation and hanging up the phone before she turned to face Ducky. "I've been ordered to go to the morgue, collect you, and head up to Vance's office. Wanna find out how someone is able to use magic with me?" she asked and Ducky's grin was answer enough as she looped her arm through his and dragged him to the elevator.

* * *

Ed's entire back and the upper part of his left arm felt like one, massive bruise. He was about ninety-six percent certain that if it wasn't automail, his upper right arm would have been included in that pain. Honestly? Fuck Moore. Fuck Moore and fuck that car for being there. The blond tried to roll his shoulders and stretch his muscles discreetly to relieve some of the aches, but he was fairly certain that everyone in the room saw him do so. They certainly saw him flinch reflexively when a hand dropped down on his left shoulder, albeit gently, but even that slight pressure caused pain to flare. He looked over his left shoulder and saw the guilty and apologetic expression on Reid's face.

"I'm sorry!" the youngest agent said as he quickly removed his hand from Ed's shoulder. "I didn't realise you were hurt!" His face was stricken and Edward found that he wasn't even mad. As it turned out, being mad at Reid was like being mad at Alphonse – impossible for more than five seconds – especially now that Al was back in his real body.

"Don't worry about it. You startled me more than anything," Ed told him, but he could see his half-truth wasn't being bought by anyone. However, Reid nodded instead of pressing the issue. "What's up?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Reid said, and Ed could see the honesty in his face and hear it in his voice. "I realised after the last time we saw each other that you're likely to hide injuries and deal with them yourself instead of asking for help."

Ed grinned sheepishly but couldn't deny it because it was true. "I'm not a big fan of doctors. Turns out that going through automail surgery gives you a surprising aversion to needles and knives. I've learned enough first aid that I can patch myself up most of the time, and if it's something I can't handle, I go to Lieutenant Havoc or I get Al to do it for me." He shrugged nonchalantly, but his grin turned from sheepish to amused when Reid's brow rose in a way that suggested he _wasn't_ amused. "Seriously? I'm fine. Mustang has field medic training, and if any of my injuries were concerning, he'd have ordered me to see a doctor." He paused and considered that idea for a moment. "Although, I wouldn't have seen a doctor - even if he ordered me to, since it's the principle of the thing - but the point is that he didn't, so I'm fine."

Reid's smile was fond and bemused, but he accepted what Ed had told him and let the subject drop in favour of more scientific and enjoyable topics. Everyone was busy getting acquainted – or reacquainted in the case of the BAU agents – so they could start brainstorming how they were going to find Moore. The NCIS agents wanted to know more about Harding, his crimes, and his death, and Ed was more than happy to let Mustang and the BAU team field those. He didn't like talking about his role in Harding's death, even though Mustang had helped him through the aftermath.

He was keeping one ear and one eye on the others, however, and he noticed Gibbs tap McGee on the shoulder and whisper something to him. The younger agent immediately pulled out his cell phone and began dialing a number. The conversation was quiet and brief before he hung up and gave Gibbs a short nod. The older man seemed satisfied and turned his attention back to the others, locking eyes with Edward for a brief moment.

Mustang broke the mutual stare off when he turned his attention away from Vance and Hotch to focus on Edward. "Fullmetal, I completely forgot to ask before, but how is your automail holding up after that fight?"

Ed shrugged. "It's not damaged." He rolled his eyes at the raven-haired alchemist's disbelieving expression. "Despite what you may think, automail is tough to destroy. I just make it look easy because _someone_ ," a pointed look at Mustang followed that word, "keeps sending me on missions to hunt down dickheads who'd rather fight than surrender, and most of the time they're very aggressive about not giving up. Or I go up against people like Scar," he added as an afterthought. He shook his head slightly, bringing his thoughts back around to Mustang's original question. "The point is my automail is fine. Admittedly, I'm gonna have to be a little more careful with it than normal," he admitted, somewhat reluctantly as he eyed his right arm.

"Why?" Reid asked and Ed startled a little as he realised that he'd forgotten the young genius was still there.

"I don't have my mechanic here, and I don't have Truth's protection, such as it is," he answered simply. Reid hummed in understanding.

"Hopefully Moore goes down without too much hassle," Mustang said. "I do not want to deal with an exceptionally angry mechanic, even with all of the experience I've had dealing with you, Fullmetal."

"You're hilarious, Mustang," Ed rolled his eyes. "Just for that, if my automail does get broken and Winry comes after me, I'm going to blame you, since you were the one who sent me after him in the first place. _You_ can dodge her wrench for a change."

Reid laughed at the familiar banter of the two alchemists. It was one of the things he'd missed the most about interacting with the two of them. "Oh, hey, who's Scar?" he asked suddenly.

Ed blinked at him, confused by the sudden change in topic. "Huh?"

"You mentioned him just now, when you talked about your automail getting destroyed."

"Oh. He was a serial killer who was targeting State Alchemists," Ed explained. "The first time we met, he very nearly took me out after he destroyed my arm and injured Al." Although that wasn't the full truth, he wasn't about to explain about Al being a suit of armour for four years. "It turned out that he was an Ishvalen who'd lost his entire family during the civil war, so he was avenging his people by going after every State Alchemist he could find. I think his total kill count was fifteen State Alchemists, a couple dozen regular soldiers who tried to stop him or got in his way, a couple dozen chimeras, and a homunculous."

The BAU team's eyes were wide as they listened to what Ed was saying. He gave them a puzzled look. "What?"

"We chase serial killers for a living, Ed. Most aren't that prolific," Prentiss said quietly. "How'd you get away from him?"

"Mustang distracted him, and then Major Armstrong engaged him in a fight so that Mustang's team could surround him and get me out of the line of fire," Ed said with a shrug. "Anyway, now he's working with our military to try and rebuild his lands and relocate any surviving Ishvalen refugees back there. We write each other letters every month or so. He's doing well and adjusting as best as can be expected."

Reid wasn't the only one who looked flabbergasted at what he'd just said.

"You're in contact with Scar? Since when?" Mustang asked.

"Um, the first letter came about three weeks after Al was hospitalised. He wanted to apologise for trying to kill me and to thank me for my offer to help them rebuild once Al was released. He said he'd had time to look back and reflect on his past choices, since Major Miles had asked him to help with rebuilding Ishval. He realised that going after me, someone who was barely a toddler at the time the civil war broke out, and trying to kill me for something I had no hand in just because I'd joined the same unit that did was misguided and he asked for my forgiveness," Ed stated matter-of-factly, either oblivious to or ignoring the anxious tone of Mustang's question.

"How'd you respond to him?" Prentiss asked.

Ed shrugged. "I told him that he didn't need to ask for forgiveness. I didn't hold a grudge against him, especially after he handed over the information that saved our country from the homunculi and their Father." Mustang snorted at that and Ed rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. I didn't hold _much_ of a grudge. I told him it wasn't the first time someone had tried to kill me because they had a grudge against the military. Now he sends me monthly updates on how the rebuilding is going in Ishval, and I send him updates on Al's progress and whatever else has happened. Dude's pretty chill now that he's worked out his anger issues." He was surprised when Prentiss and a couple of the other agents laughed a little. "What?" he asked, his tone confused.

"Only you could make friends with someone who was once dead set on killing you, Fullmetal," Mustang sighed, amused now that his racing heart had calmed down a little.

There was a knock on the door, which caught everyone's attention, and Vance rose from the table to answer it. Ed caught a glimpse of silky black hair before Vance blocked his view and suspected that the man was talking to Maria. Vance nodded and opened the door up more widely to allow two more people into the room before he closed it behind them.

Ed recognised Doctor Mallard right away, but the young woman with him made him pause as he slowly took her in and acclimated to what he was seeing. He'd never seen anyone dressed quite like she was. He took in the massive platform boots, the short plaid skirt with thick silver chains dangling from her spiked belt, the tight black shirt with a cutesie skull and crossbones design on the front, the white lab coat with its sleeves rolled up to her elbows, black fingernail polish, the numerous silver bracelets, what he suspected was a spiked dog collar around her neck, her tattoos, and finally the two black pigtails that gave her an innocent, carefree feel. Her eyes immediately fell on him and Mustang and he saw the small flash of recognition go through them, but he was certain he'd never seen her before. He knew he'd remember her if he had.

"I'd like to introduce all of you to Doctor Mallard, our medical examiner, and Miss Abby Sciuto, our forensic scientist. I'll let you introduce yourselves later, but for now we've asked them up here to get their input. I believe their expertise and experience may come in handy," he explained and everyone who didn't already know the two murmured a hello or nodded. Vance indicated that they could sit down at the table and the few people who were standing found seats or leaned against the wall. "We'll catch Doctor Mallard and Miss Sciuto up on what's happened and then go from there," Vance decreed.

Abby raised a hand almost sheepishly, and Vance indicated that she could speak. "Um, we kinda already know what happened in the parking lot. We just don't really understand it or know why you guys are here," she admitted, indicating the BAU.

"Let's start with that then, and we'll move on to what we need to do," Vance said, nodding to the alchemists and the FBI agents. Ed sighed quietly to himself before joining in on the explanations about how they got here, what alchemy was, and why the FBI agents were here. He hoped this explanation would be quick and the following strategy session would go smoothly. He was rather tired and sore, after all. Seriously, Moore could go fuck himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

The conversation to bring Abby and Ducky up to speed seemed to go by much faster than the other times they'd had to give it. _Practice makes perfect_ , Ed supposed. The one thing that _never_ got old was watching the variety of expressions form on the others' faces. Abby was especially fun to watch. She looked mortally offended by their claim that alchemy was science and not actual magic. Both she and Ducky were awed by the sight of his automail, something that caused Ed to remember his first visit to Rush Valley. The only difference was that instead of just wanting to get a look at it, he was being asked all the technical and biological aspects about how his automail was built and how it worked. He did his best to answer all their questions, but he'd never really been interested in how it worked since he trusted Winry to make her very best automail for him.

"So, what you're basically saying is that you two," Abby pointed to Mustang and Ed, "are aliens from another world and you use science magic to do impossible things and fight. You met this lot," a gesture towards the BAU agents, " three months ago because you," back to Ed, "made a deal with a god and it cashed in the favour you owed it by way of getting you two to team up with them," she pointed at the agents again, "to take down a rogue alchemist. Now you're back here because the rogue alchemist's brother decided to get even and throw you two back into our world so you'd be stuck here and he could kill you at his leisure?"

Ed thought about it and nodded. "Basically, yeah. That about sums it up," he said, happy he wasn't going to be asked to explain it again. Her eyes widened with glee and Ed was uncomfortably reminded of Winry at that moment. It was the same look that made him fear for his bank account. He pointed a finger at the scientist. "No. Whatever you're thinking, it's a firm no."

She pouted, which caused an amused expression to flit across Gibbs' face – the first real expression Ed thought he'd seen on the older man's face so far. "I wasn't going to say anything!" she protested, but Ed didn't look overly convinced. There was a snort of laughter from DiNozzo, who immediately shut up at the glare she sent his way. Yup, that glare looked very much like a certain blonde mechanic's as well. Ed tried to imagine Abby as a blonde, but he quickly dismissed the idea of Abby being Winry's reflection. They were similar in obsessive nature only.

Vance cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now that everyone's up to speed, we need to discuss our plans. Miss Sciuto, please go with Agents DiNozzo, Prentiss, and Morgan to the parking lot. I'd like you three to collect samples and anything else you can find that might help us locate Moore. Miss Garcia, would you accompany Agent McGee to our Cyber Unit? I'd appreciate it if you could use our city's cameras to try to track down his movements. McGee, pull up surveillance cameras from the parking lot and get a shot of Moore's face, then help Miss Garcia where you can. Agent David, McGee will send you the image he pulls. Once you've received it, put out a BOLO. Make sure you advise local police that he is extremely dangerous and should not be approached by anyone other than us. Agent Jareau, I believe your role is as liaison with local police and the media, correct?"

"Yes, sir." JJ's blonde hair shimmered as she nodded.

"Good. Once Agent David has released the BOLO, I'd appreciate it if you took the photo and held a press conference. Let the public know he's wanted for an attack on NCIS headquarters and the attempted murder of two of our diplomatic guests. Tell them they shouldn't approach as he's volatile and likely to attack anyone who attempts to detain him. If the media asks, tell them you're here at my invitation. Agents Hotchner and Rossi, would you be willing to sit down with Agent Gibbs and Brigadier General Mustang? Go over everything from when your team was assigned the Harding case through to the alchemists going home and your official report. Doctor Reid, Doctor Mallard, would you sit down with Edward? Go over his fights with Moore in greater detail. We need to know about any injuries he may have and how they'd affect him, mentally and physically. I'll call Chief Strauss and officially request your assistance," Vance finished as he stood up.

The others all nodded. Even Ed was good with this plan, which was saying something considering he wasn't big on investigating. He preferred to go straight to the fighting stage.

Before any of them could leave on their assigned tasks, Vance spoke again. "I think it should go without saying that Edward and Brigadier General Mustang go _nowhere_ alone. I want at least two agents with each of them any time they're out of this building."

Edward groaned. He knew why Vance was ordering that, but he still didn't like being babysat. He'd survived human transmutation, five years in the military, the Promised Day, and Scar, after all.

"You'll live, Fullmetal. Something that I suspect is the point to us having a guard," Mustang said, smirking at his subordinate's irritated expression.

Ed flipped him off. "Easy for you to say, bastard. You're used to having Captain Hawkeye following your every move to watch your back. Especially when it rains." Mustang just rolled his eyes.

* * *

As the group disbanded, Edward followed Ducky and Reid down to the morgue. He knew Mustang, Rossi, Gibbs, and Hotch were heading for the conference room where he'd called Garcia. Not that he was worried about being separated from Mustang or anything. He just liked knowing where everyone was. He'd stopped Morgan before he left and asked if he could find one of the knives Moore had made for him. He wanted to examine it and see if the way it was made could give him any insight into the level of Moore's alchemic technique, absent the Stone's influence. The agent had agreed and they both followed their respective groups.

Ed would've liked to have said that he got straight into the discussion when the three of them got down there, but he was far more distracted by the technology in the room. Now that Ducky knew where he was from, he was free to ask questions about all the things he didn't recognise. Even the autopsy tools were far more advanced than anything Amestris had. Ducky indulged his curious questions until Reid reminded them they were actually down here for a reason. Ed grinned and started to scratch his neck sheepishly, only to wince when he forgot about some of his injuries.

Ducky's eyes immediately narrowed. "Do you want me to take a look at your newest injuries?" he asked. His tone was worried enough to make Ed feel slightly guilty for refusing.

"Thanks, Doc, but Mustang patched me up already," Ed replied. Ducky didn't look appeased by that answer. "He has field medic experience and it's not the first time he's patched me back up," Ed elaborated as he stole one of the stools that Ducky used when he needed to get a closer look at a wound. Ducky pulled his desk chair over, leaving Reid to either lean against the desk or the closest autopsy table. He chose the desk, bracing his hands against the edge and leaning back slightly to let the desk take his weight. Ducky decided to let the subject of Ed's injuries drop. He would have to trust that the raven-haired alchemist knew what he was doing.

"Okay," Ducky said and gave the teen a small smile. "Let's talk about Moore then. I need you to be as descriptive and accurate about his injuries as you can, please."

Ed nodded and expression turned to one of concentration. "Okay. He wasn't really injured before I fell through the portal. He might have acquired some minor scratches and bruises. I don't remember any of mine or Al's attacks hitting him properly, because we were so focused on keeping up with him. Bastard was so quick and he knew the area extremely well. I didn't notice any obvious injuries on him when he and Mustang appeared, but I don't know what Al might have inflicted on him when he arrested him. Then we fought down in the parking lot and I landed plenty of hits. He's gonna be a lot of pretty colours in the morning."

To Reid and Ducky, the young alchemist sounded pleased about that fact. Although considering that Moore was the reason they were all in this situation, neither one of them could exactly blame Ed for his feelings about that.

"I hit him hard twice. The first one was to his right shoulder. I buried a 4-inch throwing knife into it right here," he indicated the position on his own shoulder, "and it was buried to the hilt. He yanked it back out and probably did some additional damage when he did. Then we fought hand-to-hand, and I _wasn't_ pulling my punches. I'm certain I bruised, if not cracked some of his ribs on both sides. I fractured his cheekbone, knocked a couple of teeth out, and gave him plenty of bruises to the soft tissue. I may have also fractured his left collar bone, but I can't be certain. I also completely crushed his left wrist and fractured – if not completely broke – one or both of his arm bones. After that, he managed to throw me off and Mustang intervened. I don't know how close Mustang's flames got to Moore, so it's possible he got burned, but I honestly wouldn't count on it. Mustang doesn't like to use his alchemy with lethal results unless he absolutely has no other choice in the matter."

Ducky nodded, considering Ed's description for a moment. "Well, those ribs of his will make it difficult for him to move around quickly. If he doesn't see medical attention for his wrist or his shoulder, they will become problems for him once they start to heal, since they'll heal incorrectly. He wouldn't be able to rotate his shoulder, which would mean that arm is next to useless. I'd be surprised if he'd be able to life his right arm at the shoulder more than a few degrees as well. He _might_ be able to use his right hand, so long as he only lifts it at the elbow or wrist, but I imagine that would still cause some discomfort. His left wrist is an entirely different story. He'll need to, at the very least, stabilise it with a cast or – at the bare minimum – a splint. It'd be tough with his right arm in the condition it is, but he could splint his left wrist if he tried. But if he leaves it too long, that wrist will heal incorrectly and he'll never be able to use it."

"Yeah, but that's assuming he doesn't figure out healing alchemy," Ed sighed, leaning back in his chair and resisting the urge to scrub at his face.

Reid's expression turned thoughtful. "If he does figure out healing alchemy exists, _would_ he be able to actually fully heal himself?" Reid asked.

Ed straightened up and leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that you would need medical knowledge to be able to use any healing array from – what was it? Creta?" Ed nodded and Reid continued. "Wouldn't he need medical knowledge as well?"

"Good question, but no, he wouldn't," Ed shook his head. "The Stone would be able to heal him completely without needing much more knowledge than what the average human has. We have a skeleton comprised of two hundred six bones, we have muscles that cover that skeleton, a nervous system that helps us feel pain or temperature change, our heart pumps blood throughout our body…those sorts of things. In theory, all Moore has to do with the Stone is think about healing the body part he needs to heal and it'll heal like it should. But that's just theory," Ed added. "I can't remember reading anything about Harding having medical knowledge and he was able to heal himself. I've also never used a Stone to heal myself, so I can't be more specific."

Reid muttered something that _might_ have been a curse, but it was too quiet to make out. That alone kinda impressed Ed, since he'd picked up pretty quickly that Reid was the least likely member of the BAU team to swear. "I was hoping that if he tried to heal himself he'd do it wrong because he wouldn't have the medical knowledge," Reid admitted finally.

"Yeah, no such luck there," Ed sighed.

"Is there anything else you can remember that would be relevant?" Ducky asked and Ed went back through everything in his mind one more time, but ultimately shook his head.

"Without having Al here, I can't be completely certain any of our hits in Amestris landed. I was so focused on making sure Al and I didn't get hurt and keeping Moore from landing an actual attack to focus on any injuries he may have accumulated. I also don't know what Al might have had to do to Moore in order to subdue him," he admitted, sounding almost apologetic.

"Completely understandable," Ducky told him, patting him gently on his arm. Edward gave him a small smile in return.

"So, we've discussed the physical," Ed nodded to the two of them. "What does the information I gave you mean for Moore's mental state?"

"From what you've told us about him, he's obviously after revenge against you and Brigadier General Mustang for the death of his adoptive brother," Reid said. "He's smart enough to have set the trap for the two of you, but he didn't think it through enough. For starters, he didn't consider your previous visit to our dimension. He didn't consider the possibility that you and the Brigadier General –"

"Stop using his title. It takes forever to say and, despite his protests, he doesn't care if you call him Mustang," Ed interrupted him.

Reid shook his head fondly at Edward. "Mustang, then. He didn't consider that the two of you may have friends here who could help you, which means that he wasn't prepared to face anyone other than the two of you. He didn't take into consideration that you would be able to use your alchemy here, and he wasn't completely prepared for you to attack him as soon as he dropped through the portal. I know he still put up a fair fight, but from what I heard of it and saw when we faced Harding, he didn't put up as big a fight as he could have. I believe it's because he didn't expect you, your alchemy, or the NCIS agents, and he was slightly disoriented from the fall."

Edward thought about Reid's theory and nodded. Moore had been _fast_ when he'd been leading them through the streets of Central, but his reactions hadn't been nearly as fast during their fight in the parking lot.

"I believe these injuries will have made him more desperate to complete his goal. I don't think he'll be patient enough to set up an elaborate trap up again. I'm honestly more inclined to believe that he would try and take you out while your back is turned. That way it's minimal effort on his part and he can be rid of the two of you at once," Reid finished.

Ed groaned. "So what you're saying is that we can't expect Moore to stay in hiding for long and that when he attacks, he'll be desperate and therefore more likely to make an exceedingly frenzied and dangerous move." Reid nodded gravely. "So Vance sticking you poor buggers on babysitting duty for us wasn't really an overreaction?"

"No, it wasn't. In fact, if he hadn't, I can promise you that Hotch would've tagged us to stay with you," Reid said firmly.

Ed sighed. "But that will put you guys in danger as well! You don't have alchemy to protect you from the Stone, and from what you just told me, Moore no longer strikes me as the kind of guy who will take civilians into consideration. You guys would just be making yourselves obstacles for him to get rid of and I won't ask you to do that! I know Mustang won't either. We're military, we're State Alchemists. We know the risks involved and we agreed to them when we enlisted. It's our job to protect others – not be protected by civilians. I won't – we won't have you guys getting injured or killed because of us," he said, shaking his head firmly.

"Ed, I'm telling you right now, my team won't let you go anywhere by yourself. You don't have a choice this matter." Ed opened his mouth to protest Reid's words, but the young doctor cut him off. "You're our friend. We don't want to see you hurt, so we _will_ help protect you. We took oaths when we joined the Bureau, and we know that every time we go out into the field we could become a victim of one of the monsters we hunt. It's the risk we take. I will even guarantee you that Garcia will be helping as well. Every time either you or Mustang leaves this building, she'll be using the city's cameras to keep an eye on you."

"I don't want you guys getting hurt because of me," Ed's voice was very soft as he turned away from Reid, not wanting to look his friend in the face directly. "Everything that's happened today is because of me. It was my idea to kill Harding. I set the trap. Mustang might be the one who hit him with that fireball, but I'm the one who trapped him so he couldn't avoid it."

This was the part he hated to admit to himself. He'd joined the military determined not to kill, determined to find a way to avoid killing, even if he was given the order to kill. He'd survived five years in the military without killing anyone except Father, but he didn't consider the homunculus to be human, so Ed didn't count him. Besides, whatever Truth had done to the Dwarf once his Stone was destroyed was far worse than anything Ed could have done to him.

"I killed him. So all of this –you guys being in danger, us being back in this dimension, getting NCIS involved – it's all my fault. You guys shouldn't even be involved in this. None of you should be."

Because he wasn't looking at Reid, he didn't even see the young agent move. He gasped softly in surprise when Reid was suddenly right there, his arms gently, but firmly gripped Ed's biceps. "Edward, Harding's death was _not_ your fault," he said, no room for argument. "We all saw what Harding turned into when that Stone rebounded. If you and Mustang hadn't killed him, he could have killed us and innocent civilians. _Maybe_ we could have gotten the upper hand and shot him before that happened, but the odds weren't on our side. We were hurt, low on ammo, and exhausted."

Reid didn't break eye contact with Ed's golden ones the entire time he'd been speaking, and neither did he loosen his grip on Ed's arms. "I wish you hadn't been forced to do what you did. It happened, and you can't change it, no matter how much you want to. But his death was _not_ your fault. He was dead the moment he chose to fight us instead of coming in quietly." Reid swallowed hard for a moment. "One of the worst situations for any cop or federal agent in this country to go through is when a suspect decides that suicide by cop is the only way to go out. That's what happened here. Harding might not have consciously decided that once the Stone rebounded on him, but it was the same outcome if he _had_. I don't know what the laws of your country are like or what your people would have done to Harding if he'd gone quietly back to Amestris with you, but he decided not to take that path. His death was his own fault. So please stop blaming yourself, okay?"

Much to his embarrassment, Ed's vision had become blurry the more Reid spoke. He blinked his eyes rapidly to clear them and nodded slightly. Reid squeezed his biceps gently, even though Ed could only feel it in his left arm, before he let the teen go. Ed was just glad that Reid hadn't aggravated any of his wounds. He didn't want the young agent to feel any guilt over causing Ed more pain, even if it was an accident. His cheeks heated up when he heard Ducky clear his throat. He'd forgotten that the elderly man was even in the room.

"What is a rebound?" Ducky didn't comment on Reid's speech or Ed's reddening cheeks or damp eyes, and Ed found himself grateful to the man for that and for asking a question that would stop Ed from remembering the sight of Harding's burned body and the smell of burnt flesh – an odor he swore he could smell all the time now.

Ed cleared his throat before answering, as he realised that Ducky hadn't been in the room when he'd explained this to the others. As long as he could concentrate on something technical, he didn't have to think about Harding. "A rebound is something that happens when an alchemist tries to perform a transmutation that violates one of the laws of alchemy, is unbalanced, or is beyond their skill level. Rebounds can result in injuries, or if the energy released is strong enough, in death." Ed didn't notice at first that he had instinctively brought his left hand up to clutch at the right sleeve of his red jacket, but the other two did. When he did notice, he quickly dropped his hand.

"Harding's case was different. He was using a Philosopher's Stone, which meant no transmutation was impossible for him to do. What happened was that the Stone ran out of souls. When he performed a transmutation after the Stone was depleted, it rebounded on him and it turned him into something not human. He was basically an animal, acting only on his instincts, which made him even more dangerous. Once a rebound like that happens, there's no way to help the person recover."

"Would Moore know that the Stones can run out of lives?" Ducky asked.

Ed pondered the question for a few moments. "I don't know. We mentioned in our report that Harding had a Stone and that it rebounded so that we were forced to kill him. But I don't know how much, if any of our report Moore read or heard about. Military reports are classified, and since Harding never listed Moore as his next of kin, he wouldn't have been formally notified by a member of the military after we gave our reports. It's not likely that Moore has an informant inside the High Command, but it's also not impossible. It's more likely that he heard about it through gossip on the streets or by overhearing some lower-ranked officers talking about it."

The more Ed thought about it, the more he realised that even though Harding was dead, there was a lot about that situation that was still unresolved. "Besides, Moore doesn't only have one Stone. He has a few in the right pocket of his pants. I saw him reach in there when I stole the one he was using. But it is very possible that he still doesn't know that every time he uses a Stone, he's one transmutation closer to a rebound." Ed honestly couldn't give them an answer either way. No one had ever calculated exactly how much alchemic energy a single human soul could generate, and there was no way of knowing how many souls had been used to make each of the Stones that Moore had. He hoped Moore knew there was a limit. He wouldn't wish that sort of a rebound on anyone.

"So he really is a ticking time bomb," Ducky mused aloud. Before the other two could comment, something on Ducky's desk started ringing, but it didn't seem to be phone itself. Ed watched in fascination as Ducky pressed something on a small, flat, silver rectangular object on his desk. Abby's face suddenly appeared on a screen mounted to the wall.

" _Hey Ducky!"_ she called out brightly and Ed thought he could see someone in the background, behind her and to the left. He was proven right when DiNozzo appeared next to her with his own greeting.

"Hello, you two. What can I do for you, my dear?" Ducky asked the young scientist.

" _Is Edward still down there with you?"_ she asked, getting straight to the point. Ducky confirmed he was. _"Cool. Can you bring him up to my lab please? I got questions!"_

Ducky glanced over at the teen, who nodded in agreement. "Okay, Abby. We'll be there shortly." She gave them an enthusiastic wave before she did something on her end and the video call was cut off. Ducky turned to face the alchemist and FBI agent. "Shall we go and see what the young lady wants?" he asked.

"Might as well," Ed shrugged his automail shoulder and Reid nodded his agreement. Ducky led them to the elevator and pressed the button to take them to Abby's lab. The elevator dinged and the door opened about ten seconds later. Ed and Reid started at the music blasting from the lab. Ducky was the only one who wasn't affected and he led the way into the room. DiNozzo, Morgan, and Prentiss were standing near the mass-spec and chatting quietly amongst themselves while Abby did whatever it was she was doing. Ducky was very proud of Abby's self-control to have the music as low as it was, but he still went over to the system and turned it off, effectively gaining her attention.

"Ducky! I didn't hear you come in!" she greeted, wrapping him in one of her huge hugs before releasing him and facing the other new arrivals, both of whom had moved over to join the agents. Morgan was in the process of ruffling Ed's hair, much to the blond's disgust, before he handed a dagger to the teen. Ed took it with a nod of thanks before devoting his attention to examining it.

"What's he doing?" DiNozzo asked Prentiss in a low tone as they watched Ed scrutinise the dagger.

"I _can_ hear you, you know?" Ed asked as he placed the dagger on Abby's table before clapping his hands and touching them to it, causing blue energy to crackle over it. Abby watched the display with childlike wonder, and the other agents – although they pretended not to be interested – were watching with equal, if less obvious scrutiny.

The alchemic energy dissipated and Edward nodded to himself, turning to look at Tony. "I was looking to see what materials it was made from and to try to get an idea of how well it was made." He picked the dagger up and lightly bounced it on his palm. "Is there anywhere in here I can throw this? Like at a wall or something? I'll fix the damage," he added, looking at Abby directly.

She considered the alchemist's request for a moment. "Sure. You can throw it at the wall in the other room." She led him through the glass door that separated her lab and her office. She didn't really want her place damaged, but she _definitely_ wanted to see more of his alchemy.

Ed nodded at her in thanks as he took up a position in front of her desk. He turned to face the wall and studied it for a moment. She did have some odd, very colourful artwork on the wall as decoration, but there was enough blank space on the wall that he didn't feel like her art would be at any risk. Taking up his stance, he decided to use his left hand for this trial as he wanted to test the balance of the dagger, amongst other things, and he couldn't do that with his right hand. He focused on the spot he wanted to hit and took a moment to get a feel for the dagger before drawing his arm back and launching it.

Even though they had either seen him in a fight (or viewed it over a camera feed) everyone still watched in awe as Ed threw the dagger and it buried itself in the wall, right between two of Abby's artworks. Ed straightened and nodded to himself before moving over to the wall. He took the hilt of the dagger in his automail hand and yanked it from the wall with a firm tug. He tucked it into one of the large pockets in his red coat before he clapped his hands and placed them on the wall, right over the hole he'd made, as promised. He ignored the fact that they were watching, enraptured, as the blue electricity danced across the hole before disappearing once Ed removed his hand.

"What did you learn?" Reid asked once Ed turned back to face them. Ed handed him the dagger to examine as he spoke.

"Okay, so this is not well made. It's functional, considering the circumstances that it was made under, but the thing about a Philosopher's Stone is that even though it makes practically all alchemy possible, you're still limited by your imagination and functioning knowledge. That dagger is sub-par, at best. I could certainly make something better in my sleep. Mainly because I have a ton of experience making bladed weapons, and I was taught by someone who was an expert. But that is actually my point. Moore has no clue how to make a dagger beyond the very basics; it needs a handle and the blade needs to be sharp. That dagger is also made from the material your parking lot is made from," he said, nodding at DiNozzo, Abby and Ducky. "He would have had no problem transmuting that material into something much better, but he didn't. Plus, the balance on that dagger is atrocious. The only reason I managed to hit where I was aiming was because I've had the training to use badly made knives well." Reid passed the dagger back to him and Ed scoffed at it before pocketing it again.

"Abby, you wanted Edward to come up here for something. What was it?" Ducky asked, the first to remember that they were here for an actual reason. That made Abby startle a little as she had completely forgotten that she had asked Edward to come up to her lab.

"Oh, yes! I was wondering if he'd give me some blood and hair samples so I can differentiate his from any of Moore's blood and hair that we might have found. Also, I want to look at his brain while he does alchemy." She grinned and Ed was once again reminded strongly of Winry.

"Look at my brain?" Edward asked warily.

Abby nodded. "I'd just attach some sensors to a few different places on your head and connect them to my computer. When you do some alchemy, the sensors should react and map out the way your brain reacts – which parts of your brain is being used, how the neurons and nerves are activating, that kind of thing," she said eagerly, even pleadingly.

Ed was not about to allow that. "Blood and hair, yes. The brain thing? That's a no." Ed said firmly and looked completely unmoved by her pleading expression. DiNozzo watched this with fascination.

"How'd you do that?" he asked once Ducky pulled Abby aside to get the things they'd need. Ed gave him a confused look, so Tony elaborated. "How did you resist that expression? I've seen Gibbs fall prey to it a few times."

"I'm a big brother to my brother _and_ a young girl who is the daughter of Mustang's best friend. I'm immune to pleading expressions," he replied in a deadpan tone of voice. After the fight with Father was over and he and Al were stuck in Central because of Al being hospitalised, Gracia Hughes had reached out to Ed to see how he was doing. He had ended up staying with her while Al underwent his slow, painful convalescence. Ed and Elysia had grown inseparable and Gracia had all but adopted Edward and Alphonse as her own children.

Ed watched as Ducky disappeared out of the door and back into the elevator, if the 'ding' it made was any indication. He sent Abby a questioning look.

"He's gone to get the stuff he needs to draw your blood," she explained. "Are you sure I can't look at your brain while you do alchemy?" she asked, turning her puppy dog eyes loose again.

Ed shook his head. "I'm not a lab rat. See if Mustang will do it because I won't. Sorry."

Abby pouted but dropped the subject, realising she wouldn't win this argument. It was like trying to get Gibbs to stop drinking coffee. Not that she was stupid enough to ever suggest he do that. Ed seemed to relax minutely when she didn't push the subject.

"Wait, did he get injured at all?" she suddenly asked and Ed's brows furrowed in confusion before smoothing out in realisation.

"Mustang? No, I don't think so. He just used the one attack and I didn't see any blood on him when he was checking me over," Ed told her and then shrugged. "I could be wrong. He could have been nicked by Moore, or maybe ended up with a concussion when he hit the ground after falling through the portal. He seemed like his usual arrogant, bastardly self. You should ask him when you ask to watch his brain," Ed encouraged her. He was eager to see what Mustang's reaction would be. His brain would probably be boring though.

"I will," Abby swore before her face brightened. "Do you want a tour of my lab while we wait for Ducky?" Ed nodded enthusiastically and flipped Morgan off when he gave a huff of laughter. Reid was happy to join in on the tour, asking Abby questions and helping her explain things to Ed when he had a question. Reid did, after all, have more experience translating something so Ed could understand it.

Edward was fascinated by some of the tools and techniques that Abby and Reid described. Amestris relied so much on alchemy to further their science that they were seriously behind in other areas. Both Abby and Reid looked surprised at various points as he asked questions about things that should have been commonplace. A probing question or two from Reid, and both of them realised how far behind Amestris was – technologically speaking – from America. A few more questions and Abby nodded.

"Based on that, I'd theorize that your country is at least a hundred years behind us," she observed. "Maybe more. You have cars, which we had in the late 1800's, but they didn't really become commonplace until the early 1900's, and electric lights, which started to become more common around 1925."

"There are only a few places in Amestris that have electricity in their homes," Ed admitted. "The places that do are mostly hospitals, military buildings, and other places in the five major cities. The further out into the countryside you go, the more likely it is to see people still using oil lamps and candles. Most of our research, if it doesn't go towards alchemy, goes towards weapons and military projects, or things like automail."

They'd made it through half of the lab when Ducky came back. Ed took custody of Abby's tall stool and offered up his left arm with only the slightest hint of a grimace. He really didn't like needles, but he wasn't about to admit to any more weaknesses. Ducky drew a vial of blood for Abby before taping a cotton ball over the small wound. Ed took it off as soon as Ducky had turned around to give Abby the blood and pulled his sleeves down before Ducky was facing him again.

"Can we finish the tour now, Miss Abby?" Ed asked.

"Sure! Wanna see the ballistics lab next?" she replied and he nodded.

"I'd suggest keeping Ed away from the guns," Morgan piped up, only for Prentiss to punch him on the bicep. Ed smiled at her.

"I don't like using guns. I think you'll be safe, if that's what you're afraid of," Ed said flippantly, and Morgan scowled. He followed Abby to the last zone in her area and they went through the ballistics lab. Ed asked quite a few questions and learned a lot of helpful things that he thought he could take back to Amestris. They rejoined everyone else in the main lab and Abby explained the things they hadn't already covered. Once she'd finished the tour, she took the vial of Ed's blood out of the evidence refrigerator and set to work preparing it to be analyzed. Ed ended up hovering over her shoulder, asking questions about what she was doing.

Morgan's phone rang and he was on the line briefly before he gave an acknowledgement and hung up. He and Prentiss ended up having to drag Ed away from Abby on Gibbs' and Hotch's combined orders.

"Let me know when you're done with the blood so I can look at the results," Ed said as he followed the agents out of the lab. Abby called back that she would and that he could come back down anytime as the elevator door closed. The ride was short and soon they were following DiNozzo down the semi-familiar path to the conference room.

* * *

Gibbs, Hotch, Rossi, and Mustang all looked over at the door when it opened to admit the four of them. Gibbs gestured for DiNozzo to sit next to him and the two of them were soon engaged in a low-toned conversation. Ed joined Mustang, who was sitting at the other end of the table, a few chairs away from Hotch and Rossi. The two senior BAU agents were joined by Reid and Prentiss, while Morgan bridged the gap between the alchemists and the two older FBI agents.

"You okay?" Mustang asked once Ed had sat down beside him. The teen glanced at him before he drew the dagger out of his pocket and passed it to Mustang.

"Yup. That's one of Moore's, by the way," Ed told him, gesturing towards the dagger. "You okay?" he asked after a moment and Mustang nodded before beginning his own examination of the dagger. Ed left him to it and indulged in some people-watching. Gibbs and Tony were still talking amongst themselves and the BAU agents were comparing notes, discussing terms that no doubt made sense to them, but meant very little to Ed.

Mustang's examination of the dagger didn't take very long before he was placing it on the table in front of him. "Maes would be horrified by that dagger," he told Ed quietly, only the slightest signs of grief showing.

Ed let out a soft snort of laughter before he sobered. "It at least confirms what we suspected. Moore has absolutely no training as an alchemist. He doesn't even have a basic knowledge of the Stones and the wide variety of possibilities that it would open up to him. He certainly doesn't have any kind of weapon training, and his fighting style is definitely more of a street brawler than anything else."

Mustang nodded thoughtfully before something occurred to him. "Then how did he throw you back like he did? It looked like he was using nothing to do that." He leaned forward slightly so his arms were resting on the desk.

"Actually, I think he was using the air," Ed told him. It was something that he had tried to figure out when he got thrown into the car and he couldn't come to any other conclusion. "I think Moore has a very broad view of how to use the Stones. I think his understanding is basically 'think about what I want and the Stone does it'. He wanted me thrown backwards, thought about it, and pointed the Stone at me. The Stone interpreted that as sending a wall of air at me to knock me back. I think he did the same thing with the daggers." He gave the aforementioned weapon a dirty look. "He just thought about making daggers and aiming them at me and the Stone did what he wanted. He didn't think about things like balance or material, so the Stone just gave him _that_ ," he indicated the makeshift dagger lying on the table in front of Mustang.

"Perfect. Not only does he not have any training in alchemy, but he hasn't even bothered to read anything about it or how to use it. He's going to end up blowing himself up – and with our luck, he'll take out a couple of civilians and/or us along with him."

Ed wanted to make a quip about his commander's pessimistic attitude, but he couldn't bring himself to, considering he was thinking pretty much the same thing. He yawned suddenly, covering his mouth and rubbing his eyes. He was still exhausted from the fight and using his alchemy, but it was hitting him particularly hard now.

"You sure you're okay?" Mustang asked, letting concern bleed into his voice as he reached out a hand to feel Ed's forehead. Al had told him a few years ago that sometimes when Ed looked sleepy it was because he was actually sick. Thankfully, this didn't seem to be one of those times. However, it spoke volumes to Mustang that the blond didn't push him away.

"Mhm. I'm just tired."

Mustang frowned. Edward shouldn't be this tired just from today. Yes, he'd been in an intense battle with Moore and he'd used a lot of alchemy, but he'd already used his absorption array to replenish the energy he'd expended. The only reason that Mustang could think of that Ed would be this exhausted was if he hadn't been getting enough sleep – but why would that be? With Al out of the hospital, both boys had taken up residence with Gracia and Elysia Hughes and seemed to have more of a regular routine than when they were going from one mission to the other. He couldn't stop himself from gently running his fingers through the blond's hair as best he could while it was still braided. Edward actually leaned _into_ the touch slightly, yet another indicator as to how tired he was.

"Is he alright?" Gibbs asked and Mustang realised they had garnered the attention of everyone else. Ed scowled at the older agent as he pulled away from Mustang's hand.

"I'm fine," he growled in a low tone, his entire posture stiffing with pride. Mustang knew why he was giving Gibbs attitude. Edward hated appearing weak in front of anyone he didn't trust completely. It was only in the last three months or so that Ed would admit that he was hurt, tired, or sick in front of Mustang.

"He used a lot of alchemy today and didn't come out of that fight unscathed. Not to mention that dimensional travel does do a number on you. We're both just tired," was Mustang's more civil answer. Ed muttered petulantly about being just fine, but everyone was ignoring him.

"I'll talk to Vance about your sleeping situation," Gibbs said, standing and leaving the room as he pulled out his phone.

Mustang focused on the FBI agents as the door closed behind Gibbs. But out of the corner of his eye, he could see DiNozzo watching him and Ed closely, but he didn't call out the agent on it. "What are you doing?" he asked the BAU agents. Ed was doing his best to stay awake out of sheer stubbornness.

"Comparing notes. We're taking what you told Hotch and Rossi, what Prentiss and I found by going over security footage, what was left of the crime scene, and Reid's conclusions from his talk with Ed and we're trying to come up with at least a preliminary profile for Moore."

"Why? We know what he looks like and what he's after. Why come up with a profile at all?" Mustang asked. It seemed like a pointless exercise to him.

"Well, we're mainly doing this so when we submit our case report, our bosses won't question the fact that there isn't a profile in there. Naturally, we'll leave everything about you two and Moore's abilities and origins out of the official report, but we still need the profile," Morgan explained and Mustang nodded. "The other reason is because it still could be useful when we eventually face Moore. This profile could help you two figure out a strategy to subdue Moore with minimal risk to yourselves or anyone else."

Mustang had to admit that both reasons were very good ones to go forward with creating a profile. Gibbs opened the door and looked at Mustang, who turned his attention away from the BAU agents.

"Vance said you two can either camp in a hotel – preferably the same one the BAU will be staying in – or you can stay with one of us. Vance also wants me to tell you that if you choose to stay in a hotel room, NCIS will be happy to foot the bill since he assumes you don't have any US money."

Ed barely held back a snort. "That'd be a good bet." He looked at his commander. "Up to you Mustang," he said, honestly not caring either way. He was too tired to care about much right now.

"If it's definitely okay with Director Vance, we'll take up his offer to put us in a hotel," Mustang decided. He didn't want to put the agents out any more than they already had. Gibbs nodded and lifted his phone back up to his ear. Evidently, he hadn't finished the phone call; he'd just kept the director on hold. They exchanged a few words before Gibbs hung up.

"DiNozzo." Tony immediately sat up straight, alert and ready. "Vance is going to text you the information about the hotel he's booked the alchemists in. Forward it to whichever BAU member organises the hotels they stay in so they can book rooms too." Just as he finished speaking, Tony's phone chimed and alerted him to a new message. Reid did something with his phone before passing it off to Tony, who took it and pressed the screen several times before sliding it back along the table to its owner. "Go find Ziva and see if there's been any response to the BOLO or the press conference. Then check in with McGee. Let me know what they've found."

"Yes, boss," was all Tony said as he swept out of the room, barely giving the rest of them a glance.

"Why can't you be like that?" Mustang asked, elbowing Ed gently, wary of the teen's bruised ribs.

"Someone has to make sure your ego doesn't get too big, and Captain Hawkeye is too busy making sure you finish your paperwork instead of being a lazy bastard," Ed quipped back before stifling another yawn.

"Why are you such a brat?" Mustang sighed.

"Why are you such a bastard?" Ed shot back. Mustang had to hide a fond smile behind his normal scowl. It wouldn't do to let the teen think that he'd won the argument after all. If he did, Edward would never let him live it down and the teen would get even more unruly than he already was.

Hotch's phone dinged, drawing everyone's attention. "JJ has booked our hotel rooms," the senior agent said after glancing at the message. His gaze stayed on Edward for a few moments longer, noticing Edward try and fail to suppress a yawn. "Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid. You guys take Edward and Mustang to the hotel and get some sleep. Rossi and I will finish this up and then round up JJ and Garcia and we'll join you later."

The three agents nodded and stood up, ready to head out. Mustang and Ed were a little slower to join them. Gibbs led the group out to the front of the building where the two SUVs the BAU team had brought from their office in Quantico were waiting for them. They moved all the go-bags belonging to Rossi, Hotch, JJ, and Garcia into the same car so they wouldn't have to mess around later that night, then Ed and Mustang slid into the backseat with Reid, while Morgan got behind the wheel and Prentiss took the front passenger seat.

"We'll call if anything happens tonight. Get some sleep," Gibbs said through Prentiss' open window as they pulled the doors closed and buckled their safety belts.

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs," Mustang said as he leaned forward slightly to meet the older man's gaze. "We'll see you in the morning." Gibbs nodded and Morgan backed the car out of its spot, heading for the exit.

* * *

It took a few minutes to get through the security measures, but once they were finally out on the road, it was only a matter of minutes before they were pulling up outside the hotel's main entrance. Less than five minutes later, they had checked in, received their key cards, and separated to their rooms. Ed and Mustang were once again paired up into one room, but neither complained. Edward headed straight for the bed, shed his trademark coat, kicked off his boots and socks, pulled off his gloves, and collapsed facedown into the pillow.

Mustang shook his head and pulled the blankets out from underneath his subordinate, covering him up, before he stripped out of his uniform, leaving only his white undershirt and boxers on. The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep was watching Ed sleep and – not for the first time – being surprised how young the blond looked when he was asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

Edward woke slowly, stretching underneath the warm blanket he could feel on top of him. He was a little surprised that he had woken naturally, rather than from a screaming nightmare. He hadn't slept for nearly four days, excluding a couple of brief catnaps, because the last time he had slept longer than three hours at a time he'd woken up Alphonse, Gracia and Elysia with his screaming. Gracia had made him some hot chocolate and had sat up with him for two hours after prying Elysia off his lap. The young girl had declared that she was going to hug all the bad dreams away. Her innocent determination had reminded Ed so much of Alphonse when they were kids and Al was certain that Hohenheim would come home to them. He'd apologised for waking everyone, but Gracia had dismissed the apology as unnecessary. She'd ushered him back to bed and stayed with him until he'd fallen asleep again. However, the next morning he'd decided to resort to an old habit: stay awake as long as possible before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep. Not the _healthiest_ method, but it worked for him and that was good enough.

So when he woke up in the hotel room feeling well-rested and content, he just laid in bed for a few minutes, waiting to see if something bad was going to happen before he even managed to get up. He glanced over at the second bed in the room and saw that his commanding officer was not in the bed opposite his. Ed sat up and took a look around the room in an attempt to find him (and get a look at his current home away from home). The room came with an attached bathroom and the bedroom was separated from the sitting area and a small kitchen by a set of glass-paned double doors. The bathroom door was shut and he could hear the shower running, so it was a safe bet that was where Mustang was.

Ed climbed out of his own bed and zeroed in on the bag he'd been carrying around that contained his clothes. He pulled them out and laid them on his bed, inspecting the damage. His black tank top had survived any damage but had dried blood and dirt all over it. His leather pants and black jacket had several tears and were far dirtier than his tank top, so he decided to use a combination array he'd created specifically because he had grown tired of performing his cleaning and mending arrays all the time. The combination array used a bit more energy and was a little more complicated, but it got the job done more quickly and ultimately more efficiently.

He concentrated on the array, making sure he had it in full detail, before he clapped his hands together. His blue transmutation energy danced across his clothing, mending the tears while pulling the dirt and dried blood from it to create a small, compressed sphere that he could throw in the bin near the kitchen. Once he was done, all he could do was wait for Mustang to get out of the shower so he could go for one.

* * *

Mustang emerged from the bathroom nearly fifteen minutes after Ed had mended his clothing. He was greeted by the sight of a shirtless Ed, who was busy pulling bandages off of his injuries from the previous day in preparation to take a shower. A glance at the clock on the table between the beds told him it was only six-thirty in the morning, but considering they crashed at around eight the previous night, Mustang counted ten uninterrupted hours of sleep a blessing. Edward certainly looked much better than he had the previous day, if he ignored the multitude of bruises and cuts littering the teen's body. The numerous scars scattered across his torso and remaining flesh arm didn't help his case and ignited a flare of guilt in Mustang's heart. Not for the first time, he couldn't help but wonder what Ed's life would have been like if he hadn't talked him into joining the military when he was twelve.

"About time you got out of the shower. Considering how useless water makes you, I would have thought your showers would be shorter," Ed remarked as he finished pulled the last bandage off his torso. Mustang moved past him to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee.

"Hilarious, Fullmetal," he deadpanned, beginning to go through the cabinets. "Go take a shower. I'll check your injuries again once you're out."

"You don't have to. I'm fine," Ed told him as he gathered his newly cleaned and mended clothing up and headed for the bathroom.

"I know, but I'm still going to. I want to make sure you're okay, and I know Al will feel better knowing that someone took care of you," Mustang told him.

Ed made a show of rolling his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, Mustang." The teen disappeared into the bathroom as Mustang shook his head. He found coffee and, after puzzling over the workings of the coffee maker for a few moments, managed to get a pot going. It likely wouldn't be the best coffee he'd ever made, but it would do in a pinch. No doubt the agents would know a better place to get coffee once they met up with them.

While the coffee brewed, Mustang continued to look through the cabinets for a first aid kit and eventually came up with one that was surprisingly well stocked. His hope was that he wouldn't have to use much of it though. Most of the injuries Ed had accumulated yesterday hadn't been deep enough to warrant bandages. At best, they'd need butterfly bandages applied to them, just to keep them closed until they finished healing. He placed the first aid kit on the table and finished making the coffee. He debated for a moment before pouring one for Edward as well. The potential teasing about the quality of the coffee would be better than the bitching he'd face if he didn't make the teen one. At the very least, he'd be subjected to mutterings about him being a lazy bastard while Ed made his own coffee.

* * *

Mustang had made it halfway through his own coffee by the time Ed emerged from the bathroom, his blond hair damp and clinging to his bare back and shoulders. He carried his tank top and black jacket over his automail arm, dumping them on his bed before heading over to join Mustang at the table. He glanced at the black coffee before taking a sip. It was only thanks to the fact that he was used to the much worse coffee from the military's mess hall that he didn't pull a face at the taste.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking another sip. Coffee was coffee, after all, and he needed it if he was expected to be at all civil during the day.

"You're welcome," Mustang replied and silence reigned between them for a few more minutes before Mustang spoke again. "Have you given any thought to how we're going to get home this time, after we capture Moore?"

It was a question he'd been thinking about whenever he wasn't focusing on something else.

"I've only got one decent idea," Ed admitted after a moment. "My idea is basically to put Moore down and steal his remaining Stones. Then we draw the array to see Truth and trade the Stones for passage home."

"That's the whole plan?" Mustang asked, mildly shocked and somewhat amused. Ed nodded, no flare of anger at Mustang's tone. He knew it wasn't the best plan in the world, since Truth could be unpredictable. "Is there a plan B?"

Ed nodded. "Of course. We open the Gate and pay Truth whatever it asks so we can get back home. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to lose another limb or owe that formless bastard another favour."

Mustang sobered a little at that. "You're serious? Our whole plan is to steal more Stones and use them to get home?"

Once they'd returned to Amestris after getting Harding and told Al and Mustang's team the story, they'd agreed that they would never use a Philosopher's Stone again. Neither of them liked the fact that they'd sacrificed a massive amount of souls when they'd given the Stones to Truth in order to get back to their own world. Grief flashed momentarily in Ed's eyes before it was overtaken by anger.

"I _know_. Do you think I actually like this plan? I _hate_ it! But I can't think of any other way that doesn't end with us dead, like Al was, or like me." Ed's voice broke a little as he clenched his automail fist. "The only way we get out of seeing Truth is if Al manages to open, and keep open, a portal directly above us so we can climb back in. I know Al won't do that if it means paying too high of a price, because we promised each other on Mum's grave that we wouldn't go through what we did on _that_ night again."

Mustang was slightly surprised at that admission. The two Elric brothers were so well known in Amestris that their reputation had already spread beyond Central and East City. Along with that reputation was the knowledge that you didn't mess with one of them if you didn't want the wrath of the other to fall upon you. He could vividly recall one such time – in the first year of Edward's military career – where Edward had been kidnapped and knocked out. In the course of the kidnapping, the teen's wrist and ribs had been broken. It had taken a full day before Al had located his brother, only for the kidnapper to walk in to find Al kneeling next to his brother's prone form. The kidnapper had taken a shot at him only to have the bullet ricochet off the armour. Al had punched the man so hard that he'd flown backwards, burst through two wooden crates, and slammed into the wall. From what Mustang knew, the man was still recovering from his injuries even now, five years after the fact.

He didn't think there was any way they would both agree not to take any extreme measures not to save the other.

"I'm sorry." That got Ed's attention, causing the golden eyes to snap back up to meet his. "I didn't mean to imply that you weren't as upset with this plan as I am."

Ed's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Mustang wished he could be offended by that, but he also understood it. It wouldn't be the first time he'd lied when he'd apologised to the teen. But apparently Edward didn't see any sign of a lie (which made sense, since he _wasn't_ lying), so he just gave a muttered comment about not worrying about it and returned to his coffee. Only once they were both finished did Mustang pointedly pick up the first aid kit, ignoring the requisite eye roll he got in return.

"Fine, you worry-wart," Ed sighed, pushing his chair out from the table so Mustang had room to work as he pleased. Mustang just flicked him on the ear, which caused the teen to growl and rub the flicked appendages while muttering vague threats at his commanding officer. Mustang ignored the growl and the threats just like he did every time Ed issued them. After five years, he was used to it. He opened the first aid kit and set to work.

The gash on Ed's arm would need to be re-wrapped, but it was the only injury that needed to be covered again. A few cuts needed butterfly bandages, including the old one above his right eye that looked as though a simple poke would re-open it. He studied the teen again, making sure there weren't any other injuries that he was hiding. "So, do you want to tell me how badly your ankle is hurting you?"

An expression of surprise and something that Mustang interpreted as 'busted' swept across Ed's face, confirming Mustang's guess. Mustang did him the courtesy of not commenting on the lie of omission, instead just waiting for the teen to respond as he took a roll of bandages and began unwinding them.

* * *

"My ankle is only mildly sprained," Edward finally said wearily. Mustang only nodded. Silence reigned for a few moments as Mustang moved to kneel down in front of Ed, gently prodding the right ankle to judge the severity of the injury. Ed hissed when he hit a tender spot and Mustang reached out for another roll of bandages. "How did you know I hurt my leg anyway?"

"You did a good job hiding the injury yesterday, but you didn't do as good a job when you went to take a shower or when you came back out," Mustang replied.

Ed silently cursed himself. The last thing he'd been thinking about when he'd gone to take a shower was hiding that injury. Mustang finished wrapping the ankle and secured the bandage but didn't get up right away.

"Answer me honestly, Edward. How are you feeling today?" Mustang's tone was imploring, his onyx eyes locked on Edward's golden ones. Edward slumped in his seat slightly.

"I'm fine. Bruised as all hell, as you can probably see, and I'm still tired. But I'm fine. You know I've been up against people worse than Moore. These injuries? Insignificant."

A strange expression crossed Mustang's face, like a combination of guilt, regret, and grief. Ed couldn't figure out why those particular expressions were on his commander's face, and he was too tired to try and interpret it. Besides, it was true. Compared to double automail surgery, a few bruises, cuts, and abrasions really were insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

"Okay," was all Mustang said as he stood up and started cleaning up the rubbish and the remainder of the first aid kit. Edward took this as an opportunity to finish getting dressed. He had just shrugged his black jacket on and was fastening the clasp at his throat when there was a knock on the door of their room. Mustang went to answer it while Ed found the pen he'd stolen from McGee in the pocket of his red coat and drew his absorbing array on the back of his left hand.

JJ entered the room with a warm smile and handed Ed a hairbrush. "I figured you'd be as unprepared for dimensional travel as you were last time."

Ed grinned as he accepted the brush. He started brushing his hair, wincing as the bristles caught on a few snarls. "Thanks, JJ."

JJ turned to face Mustang. "I was also asked by Hotch and Rossi to let you know that we'd be leaving in fifteen minutes to get some breakfast on our way to the Navy Yard and the NCIS offices."

"We'll meet your team in the lobby in fifteen minutes then," he told her and she turned back to Ed.

"How are you this morning, Edward?" she asked, not forgetting that one of her favourite blonds was injured, if only slightly.

"Totally fine, thank you." He gave her a smile and started to hand her back the hairbrush, but she shook her head.

"No, you keep it until you go home. I brought a spare one," she pushed his hand back towards him.

"Oh, okay. Thank you," he replied tossing it onto his bed and beginning to braid his hair as JJ left with a reminder that they would see the two alchemists downstairs in a few minutes. Mustang finished getting ready as Edward tied off his braid with the leather thong he used. They pocketed the keycards for their hotel room, Ed shoved his feet into his boots, and they headed down to meet the BAU agents in the lobby.

"How are you today, Edward?" Hotch asked as they joined the team. Edward had to stop himself from sighing at the question.

"All good," he replied, and Hotch simply nodded once before looking at Mustang.

"I haven't heard anything new from Agent Gibbs or Director Vance, so we're going to head to the Navy Yard. We'll grab some breakfast on the way."

Ed had to admire the way Hotch got straight to the point, unlike some Brigadier Generals he could name. They piled into the two SUVs and headed out. The trip was educational, at least in the sense that the two alchemists were introduced to the concept of drive-thru restaurants and fast food, and Washington D.C, although a large city, was vastly different to New York. Less than an hour after leaving the hotel, they were pulling up in front of the NCIS building and parking the cars in the first two available spots they could find. They took the elevator up to find Gibbs and McGee seated behind their desks.

"Morning," Gibbs greeted as they gathered in front of the desk. "We've had a development. Agent Jaraeu's press conference worked. Fifteen minutes ago, a woman on her way to work spotted Moore heading into an alley. Uniforms responded and followed him, but they lost him in an area frequented by squatters, the homeless, and druggies. I sent DiNozzo and Ziva to check it out, to see if they can get us an exact location or pick up Moore's trail. Once they do, they'll call us."

Ed snagged a chair from behind one of the empty desks and sat down. "Cool. Did the woman or the police say anything about him being injured?" He spun slightly in the chair.

"The officers reported that he seemed to have some sort of cast on, and he seemed to be favouring his arms, so I think it's safe to assume that he hasn't figured out the healing properties of alchemy," McGee answered, before pausing. "I can't believe that is a sentence that I have actually had to say."

Ed huffed out some light laughter but stopped when Mustang slapped him on the back of the head. Ed wasn't about to stand for that and immediately retaliated by elbowing him in the gut which caused Mustang to grumble as he rubbed the sore spot. It wasn't Ed's fault that Mustang was standing on his right.

"Did you have to hit me with your automail?" Mustang hissed.

"Yes. Yes I did," Ed said with a straight face. Morgan, Reid, and McGee all snorted with laughter, although McGee fell silent at the look on Gibbs' face.

"You're such a brat," Mustang muttered.

"And you're a bastard, but that's nothing new," Edward sniped back.

"Are you sure you're his subordinate, not the other way around?" Morgan stage-whispered to him. Ed snickered before giving Morgan a high-five. Hotch rolled his eyes and Mustang sighed in a long-suffering manner.

"What's the plan once your agents call in?" Hotch asked, redirecting the conversation before an argument could break out between the two alchemists. Gibbs looked at McGee, who seemed to hear some sort of telepathic command to answer the question.

"If they call in to say they've found him, we're planning on tailing him so that we can choose where to apprehend him. We're hoping he'll try to find somewhere he won't be spotted by anyone, and we'll take him down there. If they call in saying they can't find him, then we'll check in with Miss Garcia and see if she's had any luck with the security cameras." The BAU agents seemed happy with that plan.

"Where is Garcia?" Morgan asked. "She didn't come back to the hotel with Hotch and Rossi last night."

"She's still down with the Cyber Unit. She said she had a few ideas on how to help track Moore last night and she didn't want to leave until she finished," McGee told him and Morgan sighed. That was his baby girl. Out of all of them, she and Reid were the ones who'd been the closest to Edward during their last visit, and he knew how intense Garcia could be when it came to protecting those she considered her friends – and Edward was certainly one of her friends, whether he wanted to be or not.

"Do you mind if I go check on her?" Morgan asked.

Gibbs shrugged. "McGee, take him down to the Cyber Unit. See how they're doing and then get back up here."

McGee nodded and gestured for Morgan to follow him. Ed jumped up and joined them before they got too far down the hallway. Morgan raised a brow at him curiously.

"I wanna see," Ed said, golden eyes alight with excitement at the idea of seeing more of this world's technology. He wasn't entirely sure what a "cyber" was, but if it involved technology, it had to be interesting.

"You're acting like a kid on Christmas," Morgan said with a chuckle.

Ed shot him a questioning look. "What the fuck's Christmas?" he asked his face screwing up in confusion. Both Morgan and McGee looked at him, slightly horrified.

"You don't have Christmas in Amestris?" McGee asked, sounding a little sad for some reason. Ed shook his head. "Christmas is a holiday that occurs on the twenty-fifth of December. It's a day that used to primarily be a religious holiday – and still is for many people – but it's also transformed into a day for celebrating family and people who are important to you. Generally, families will get together, exchange gifts, and enjoy a feast. There's a bit more to it, but that's basically the day stripped down to its bare basics." Ed had to admit that it sounded like a nice holiday.

"What holidays do you have in Amestris, if you don't have Christmas?" Morgan asked.

Ed shrugged. "We don't really have any big holidays. Most villages have small, local traditions that they celebrate every year, but the only day that really gets a lot of attention is the day Amestris was founded. At least in Central, there's usually a big military celebration." He shrugged. "I've been lucky. I've been away on missions every time, so I haven't had to participate in all the formalities. There's also a big annual dinner for all the State Alchemists, and I've _had_ to attend that every year, by Mustang's orders."

There was a sudden surge of alchemic energy nearby, so similar in strength to the one that preceded the portal Moore and Mustang had fallen through that it caused Ed to stop short with a gasp.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked, his hand automatically moving to his weapon. McGee had also had a similar reaction before he realised that his weapon was in his desk like it always was when he wasn't in the field. The alchemic surge disappeared a second after Ed sensed it. He knew it hadn't been there long enough to have been another portal, but it was the amount of energy he felt that had him on edge.

"There was a huge surge of alchemic energy just now," Ed said, looking in the direction he had sensed the energy in with confusion. McGee and Morgan exchanged a look before looking back at the blond.

"Should we be worried? Do we need to go back and talk to General Mustang?" McGee asked uncertainly, his eyes shifting between Ed and Morgan. Morgan shrugged unhelpfully.

"No. I don't think so," Ed replied, staring in the same direction for another few moments before he faced the two agents. "Let's keep going," he said, still feeling a little uneasy about the energy, but he also knew he couldn't do anything about it right now. Morgan and McGee hesitated for another moment before McGee continued leading the way.

* * *

No one spoke for the rest of the way to the trip to the Cyber Unit. Ed was too busy trying to figure out what the energy meant and neither agent knew what to say, considering their nearly non-existent knowledge of alchemy. They made it to the room housing the Cyber Unit without any other alchemic energy surges stopping them. It wasn't hard to find Garcia among everyone else. They'd given her a quiet corner of the room, and she was the most colourfully dressed person there. She'd also taken it upon herself to decorate the workspace she'd been given with funky figurines and other quirky objects.

"Hey baby girl. How are you doing?" Morgan greeted cheekily as he approached her. She spun her chair and flashed him a brilliant grin.

"Sweet cheeks! Did you come all this way just to check on little old me?" she asked, hand over her chest.

"You know it," Morgan winked. "Gotta make sure they're treating my favourite computer genius as the goddess that she is."

Garcia gave a mock gasp that was _just_ this side of dramatic at that compliment. "Be still my beating heart!" she said, fanning herself with her hands. They held the façade for a moment before they both laughed. The sight of McGee's confused face had them laughing a little harder. Then Garcia's eyes landed on Ed, where he was standing behind Morgan. "Ed! Are you okay? How are you feeling this morning?" she asked as she stood and made her way over to him and grabbing his face carefully between her hands, concern evident on her face as she studied his visible injuries.

"I'm okay, Miss Penelope, I swear," the alchemist assured her as her eyes scanned and noted every injury she could see before she pulled him into a gentle, yet firm hug that took Ed completely by surprise. "Um…" was all he could say in response before he cautiously wrapped his own arms around her. He wasn't used to getting hugs from anyone other than Al, Winry, or Havoc (when he was drunk).

"What's this?! Is he your new favourite now?" Morgan sounded jealous, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth suggested he was far more amused by Ed's awkwardness than anything. Garcia let Ed go and faced Morgan.

"Yes. You've been replaced, my love," Garcia said. "He's younger and cuter than you are, after all." Garcia patted his shoulder consolingly as she walked back to her mini control center. Morgan gave an exaggerated gasp of betrayal, while Ed cackled now that he'd recovered from the unexpected hug, ignoring the fact that his cheeks were red with embarrassment at her teasing flattery.

"Deal with it," Ed smirked when Morgan turned a mock-angry glare on him. Morgan's response was to grin before he wrapped an arm around Ed's shoulders to drag him closer to Garcia and McGee. Ed grumbled his protests and tried to free himself, but Morgan just held him tighter. Ed wasn't willing to risk hurting the agent, although with his automail arm it wouldn't have been difficult to break free.

"So what has our lovely tech princess unearthed for us?" Morgan asked as he leaned on the edge of Garcia's borrowed desk, dragging Ed with him since he still had one muscular arm around the teen's shoulders. McGee looked over her other shoulder, reading the code displayed on the screen.

"Aw, you keep flattering me like that and you might just find yourself back as my number one, you gorgeous beefcake," Garcia said sweetly before she answered the question. "I spent the night programming. I now have a program that, once it spots someone with at least an eighty-five percent match to whomever's face I plug into it – it'll try to predict which camera that person will turn up on next, rather than forcing me or someone else to check the cameras manually. I've also written a program that sorts through every police report and dispatch announcement from every precinct in this city. It will search specifically for phrases like 'red or blue crackling energy', or 'red or blue magic', things along those lines and forward them to me. Then I'll be able to decide if it's legit or if it's just someone who's – you know – cuckoo," she told them and Ed was not the only one who was impressed.

"You wrote two brand new computer programs in one night?" McGee asked, a little in awe.

She nodded enthusiastically, causing her styled hair to bounce slightly. "It wasn't that difficult. They were offshoots of the base programs I use on my computer at work for doing custom searches through records and documents our team gathers during interviews. For the first program, it was just a matter of adapting it to filter through video feeds, and the second program was just about customizing the search terms and adding in access to the police records and the radio dispatches."

"You're amazing, Miss Penelope," Ed told her, his voice completely serious.

"Aw, Ed, this is why you're my favourite," she told him, patting one of his cheeks fondly, an action that caused Morgan to chuckle slightly at them. Ed was grinning too. McGee asked some sort of technical question about the programs, which launched her into a more detailed explanation of how she'd made the programs. Ed tried to follow along, but since he had a more limited knowledge of computer programs and coding, it wasn't easy. He tried to ask some general questions, but for the most part was content to listen while McGee and Garcia talked.

* * *

Suddenly, he felt a second surge of alchemic energy. _This_ time he was prepared, since he'd felt the earlier one, and he clapped his hands instantly. He spun around, and the suddenness of his movement was enough to throw Morgan off his shoulders. It also startled all three agents enough that they all flinched back slightly.

It was a good thing that they had put Garcia in a corner of the room, isolated from the rest of the agents who were working in the Cyber Unit. It meant that the crackle of blue energy released as Edward activated his tracking array went largely unnoticed. Ed kept his hands stretched out in front of him for a moment before he dropped them to his sides, but he didn't let the array go. His eyes, now glowing electric blue, narrowed slightly before he turned his head.

Nobody moved for a solid two minutes. They barely even breathed. Then, just as suddenly as he had reacted, Ed stopped his array. The blue glow disappeared from his eyes and his knees started to tremble, threatening to give way underneath him. Morgan noticed and was there a second later, catching him under his right elbow and supporting him as Edward tried to steady himself. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he remembered his absorbing array and activated it, ignoring the warm trickle he could feel running over his mouth and down his chin. He was trying to catch his breath, even as he could hear the agents talking around him.

"Is he okay?" McGee asked. His voice sounded like it was coming from a distance, and his face swam in front of Edward's eyes. "Do I need to go and get General Mustang?"

Ed wanted to voice a protest, but he couldn't even open his mouth and his breathing wasn't steadying as it should have been. That didn't bode well. Obviously his alchemic energy had still been too depleted from yesterday for him to have used an array with energy requirements as high as his tracking one for as long as he had. He heard Garcia tell McGee to go and get Mustang while Morgan led him to a chair and sat him down. He tasted copper in his mouth and realised dimly that the warm liquid he could feel was from a nosebleed. He fumbled the edge of his red coat up and pressed it to his nose, trying to stem the flow. He'd pushed the array too far – not for the first time – but at least he wasn't unconscious from it. Again.

Garcia produced a bottle of water and a handkerchief from somewhere and dampened it. She murmured something to Morgan who left for a moment and came back with a handful of something white. Gently, she pulled his red coat away from his face and pressed the white things into his hand. They were thin, and soft, but numbly, he obeyed the unspoken command and pressed them to his nose, stemming the trickling flow of blood. After a few moments, Garcia moved his hand away from his nose and checked his face. She took the damp cloth and began carefully cleaning away the blood from his nose, mouth, and chin.

His absorbing array was working, but not fast enough. Now he had a massive headache that was threatening to turn into a migraine. At least his breathing was finally back under control. He really, _really_ hated this dimension's lack of alchemic energy. He was just grateful that Al and Izumi weren't here. If they had seen him like this, the scolding would be epic, rivaling only Winry's whenever he broke his automail.

* * *

"Ed?" Garcia asked once she was done. "What happened? Are you okay?" She handed him the water bottle when he gestured for it and he gulped down half of what remained inside it before he answered.

"Yeah. I'm good," he eventually said. A scoff from next to him told him that at least one of them didn't believe him. He would've rolled his eyes but that took too much effort, and his vision was still wavering slightly. "Fine. I have a pretty bad headache," he admitted and heard Garcia _tsk_ at him before she moved away. She was back a moment later, pressing two white tablets into his hand. "What's this?" he asked, lifting his chin slightly to meet her eyes.

"Painkillers. Strong painkillers."

He looked back at them for a moment before shrugging and tossing them back before chugging the last of the water in the bottle. "Cheers," he said gratefully. Now that he had rested for a few minutes, his body was telling him that not only did his head hurt, but he was starving and more exhausted than he'd been before he'd fallen asleep the night before.

"So what was that?" Morgan asked in a low tone. "Was there another surge?"

"Yup." Ed sighed, leaning back in the chair a little bit. "When I felt the first one on our way down here, I kept my tracking array ready so that if I felt a second one I could use it immediately." He could already feel his headache receding slightly under the influence of the painkillers. He'd have to thank Garcia again later.

"What happened then? The only time I've seen you this bad after performing an array was when you tracked Harding, but you never gave yourself a nosebleed."

"Yeah, no. This isn't the first time this has happened with this particular array. It's just the first time I've made this mistake _here_. I just pushed the array too far beyond my energy levels. I did this once in Amestris, about a month ago, but I pushed my limits even further and ended up unconscious. Al ripped me a new one for that when he found out." He scowled slightly. "I still owe Havoc revenge for telling him, even after I specifically told him not to." He blinked again, realising that someone was missing. "Where's McGee?" he asked.

"He went to get Mustang."

Ed sighed as soon as Morgan finished speaking. Al might have yelled at him for nearly an hour the last time this had happened, but Mustang hadn't kept his opinion quiet either and he honestly didn't know which was worse. "Yay," he said dryly. Garcia patted his head sympathetically. They didn't have to wait long before Mustang and every other member of the BAU and NCIS teams were suddenly in the Cyber Unit room with them. Gibbs gave an order for the other agents to leave them alone for a few minutes, but Ed couldn't focus on what he was saying because Mustang was already kneeling in front of him.

"What happened? Agent McGee said you nearly collapsed from using alchemy," he said as he took in Ed's appearance. He looked far worse than he had yesterday.

"Did you feel them? The surges?" Ed asked, not commenting on Mustang's proximity. He'd never admit it, but he felt a lot better having Mustang right there. It was the next best thing to having Alphonse with him. Mustang nodded. "I felt the first one, but it was gone too quickly for me to react to it, so I kept myself ready in case there was a second one. I sent out my tracking array to see if I could see what was causing it, and I kinda overextended myself."

Mustang sighed with fond exasperation. "Of course you did. Was it worth it, at least? Did you learn anything?" He was curious now that his worry was less. When Agent McGee had come into the bullpen without Morgan and Edward, specifically looking for _him_ and claiming that Edward had almost collapsed in the Cyber Unit, his worry and panic had ratcheted up. He'd wondered if he'd missed some severe injury on the teen that was finally making itself known.

"Yeah. It was like someone was trying to open another portal, but they didn't have enough power to open it fully, let alone maintain it long enough for someone to come through. I couldn't use my alchemy to find out who was trying, but I know they weren't using a Stone to do it. If they were, the portal would've just opened. Whoever was trying to open that portal has to have really strong alchemy to have managed to open it as much as they did, twice."

From the expression on Mustang's face, he had connected the same dots that Ed had. "You think its Alphonse trying to open the portal, don't you?" he asked. A couple of the agents let out murmurs of surprise.

Ed nodded wearily. "I think it's Al. I think he's trying to find a way to open the portal so he can bring us home." His golden eyes softened at the thought of his little brother's stubbornness. If Al could do it, he would, Ed had no doubt about that.

"Can he do it?" Rossi asked. Ed's eyes snapped to him.

"I don't know," the blond admitted. "Based on what I sensed, I think he'd need a Stone or Truth's help to do so. He won't go to Truth unless he has no other choice, and he wouldn't use a Stone for something like this – not after everything we learned about the Stones before the Promised Day. I don't think he will be able to, even though he is a very strong alchemist. Unless…" Ed trailed off, deep in thought.

"Unless what?" Gibbs asked after it became clear that Ed wasn't going to continue unprompted.

"Unless Al teams up with more alchemists and they combined their powers," Ed replied. "If he found alchemists we can trust not to reveal this dimension and if he can explain the array to them, it could work. Most alchemists aren't taught to work in pairs or groups, because if one alchemist is stronger than the other, or all the alchemists involved don't have a firm understanding of the array, it can cause an imbalance in the array and create a rebound. But Al and I have been doing alchemy together for as long as we've been practicing it, and our Teacher refined our knowledge. Hell…Al might just need to call Teacher and ask her to come and help him. Maybe Major Armstrong too, just as an extra precaution," he finished, speaking more to Mustang than Gibbs.

"If Alphonse can do that…" Mustang said and Ed grinned wearily.

"We'd have a way home without resorting to the Stones," he finished the Flame Alchemist's thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

The elation Ed felt at the thought that his brother might be able to offer them a solution to the problem of "do we sacrifice hundreds of lives or do we pay the unknown and possibly devastating price Truth demands to get home" was dulled when he realised that there was a slight issue.

Mustang must have seen the change in his expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. Al was trying to find a way to get them home. That was a good thing, so he couldn't figure out why Ed wouldn't be completely happy about it.

"We need to figure out a way to communicate with Al," Ed replied. "We can't leave here without dealing with Moore, and we can't leave it up to these guys to deal with him – not while he has those Stones. We also can't risk Al and anyone who is helping him by depending on them to continuously open portals until we're ready to leave. We need to talk to him and coordinate a time for him to open the portal. But in order for us to give him a time, we need to know where Moore is and figure out a plan to get him."

Mustang sighed as he realised Ed was right. The fact that they had this option that had seemed perfect but now seemed unattainable was disappointing. He looked away for a moment, trying to think a way around this new problem, but when he glanced back at Edward and took in his haggard appearance, he decided that the problem surrounding the portal could wait until Ed and eaten and slept for a bit. He did _not_ want to be the one to face Alphonse (or Izumi Curtis, if Ed was right about her helping Al) once they got home and they found out he had allowed Ed to push himself while in this condition.

"Come on," Mustang said as he stood and took Ed's bicep, gently pulling him into a standing position. "Do you need food or sleep most right now?"

Ed blinked up at him blearily. He felt slightly better now thanks to the painkillers and the absorbing array, which had another five minutes or so until it finished, but only slightly better. It took him a couple of seconds to actually assess his current needs – food and sleep – and figure out which one needed more.

"Sleep," he muttered, acutely aware there were a lot of people in the room with him. He seriously hated appearing weak in front of people and if he wasn't quite as exhausted as he was, he'd have resorted to his usual defensive behaviour to make himself appear less vulnerable than he perceived himself to be.

"Let's get you back to the hotel then," Mustang said. Ed nodded; missing the way Mustang had given Gibbs and Hotch his equivalent of a 'fight me' expression.

"Okay," Gibbs said after a moment before leading the way out of the room. Garcia stopped them for a moment to give Ed a hug before she went back to work. "DiNozzo called right before McGee came to get Brigadier General Mustang, and no one has seen Moore since the officers lost him. Miss Garcia is going to start trying to track him from the cameras. Until she gets something or we get another report of him being spotted, we can't do much." Ed noted dimly that Gibbs sounded rather frustrated by the lack of action and leads.

"JJ, Reid, go with Mustang and Ed. You two can coordinate with the rest of us from the hotel," Hotch said once they reached the elevator. The two agents nodded.

"McGee, go with them," Gibbs ordered. "I'll send Ziva to meet you there." McGee nodded and headed for his desk to grab his weapon and ID before rejoining the rest of them at the elevators. "We'll call with any updates," Gibbs added as the elevator doors opened and the five of them entered, Ed still being supported by Mustang.

They passed quickly through the lobby and out to the parking lot once the elevator doors opened on the ground level and they made their way out to the cars. JJ hopped behind the wheel while Reid took the front passenger seat. Mustang helped Ed into the back seat before climbing in after him, with McGee sliding into the last seat and pulling the door closed. The drive to the hotel was quiet and it was only due to his weird inability to fall asleep in cars (although he could sleep practically everywhere else) that meant Ed was still awake when they pulled up. The entire drive his mind was working on a way to communicate with Al. He heard the four adults exchange words before he was being led back into his room only a couple of hours after he'd left it. He stripped down to his boxers and tank top before climbing back into his bed, ready to get some much-needed sleep. Given how tired he was, he would be surprised if he woke up before dark.

"Ed?" Mustang's voice stopped him just on the edge of sleep and he grunted in answer, turning his head just enough to see his commander sitting on the edge of the bed. "Don't do that to yourself again."

Ed felt a heavy pang of guilt for the look of concern on Mustang's face, but he also couldn't help the flare of warmth he felt at seeing someone so worried about him personally. "'M sorry," he mumbled into his pillow. He wanted to sleep, but he also knew he needed to tell Mustang about a possible solution to their communication issue that he'd come up with during the car ride. With some effort, he dragged his arms up underneath himself (his automail felt particularly heavy when he was this weary) and pushed himself into a sitting position. Mustang seemed confused and froze in a position with his arms out to catch Ed in case he collapsed.

"You need to go back to NCIS headquarters and wait in the car park for the next surge. Take the dagger Moore made and attach a note for Al. Throw it into the portal. Tell Al to knock off trying to open the portal until the time specified on the note. If he tries again, we'll know he didn't get it and we'll have to figure something else out."

Mustang looked conflicted. "You'll be okay here by yourself?" he eventually asked, sitting back and lowering his arms.

"I'll be sleeping and I'll have two babysitters, right?" Ed asked and Mustang nodded. "I'll be fine," Ed said with a yawn as he laid back down, snuggling deeper under his covers. He heard Mustang stand and move over to the table where the dagger was.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Mustang said, startling Ed slightly. The blond hadn't expected the man to speak again. "Try not to destroy the building in your sleep, brat."

Ed managed to drag up the energy to raise his left hand and flip him off. "I'll do my best, Colonel Bastard," he drawled back, falling back on Mustang's old military rank, not even opening his eyes as he heard the soft huff of amusement. Ed barely heard the door click shut behind Mustang before he lost himself to an exhausted sleep.

* * *

Mustang hesitated outside the door of the hotel room he was sharing with Edward. He loathed the idea of leaving Ed here by himself, even though he knew there's be two highly trained federal agents here to make sure he was alright. He also knew that, even exhausted, Ed could still put up one hell of a good fight. Shaking his head at his irrational concern, he knocked on the door directly opposite his and was greeted by JJ only a few moments later.

"What's wrong?" she asked, naturally confused by the fact that he wasn't with Ed. Despite the way they interacted with each other, none of the BAU team believed the mutual antagonism they showed was anything more than a front that hid how they really felt about each other. After all, they'd witnessed Mustang's reaction when Edward had exhausted himself tracking Harding and the aftermath of the fight where Harding had died. "Is Edward okay?"

"He's asleep," Mustang assured her. "I need someone to drive me back to NCIS. Fullmetal came up with an idea to try and communicate with his brother, and since I'm the only other alchemist you've got, it's up to me to try and get a message to Alphonse," he explained, slipping back into his habit of calling Edward by his State Alchemist title when not talking to him alone. JJ looked at him, a little slack jawed.

"He came up with an idea to communicate with his brother through an unreliable portal in his condition?" she asked.

"Yes. As I said, not much can stand between the Elric brothers. Their stubbornness and perseverance are legendary among the military. If Fullmetal wants to contact his brother, you can bet he'll find a way," Mustang informed her.

"Hopefully he can," she said after a moment, before remembering that Mustang had a reason for being in front of her door. "Let me go let Reid and Agent McGee know the situation. They can stay here with Ed and I'll drive you back to NCIS." He stepped back to let her out and she slipped past him and went down the hallway to Reid's room. She was gone longer than Mustang had expected for such a simple errand, but when she came back, Reid was with her. Mustang raised an eyebrow at the sight of the younger agent. "Agent McGee got a call from Agent David. She's literally right around the corner. Reid is going to come with us since you are technically supposed to be escorted by two agents."

"Okay. Shall we go?" he asked, gesturing for them to take the lead. Soon enough they were crossing the lobby, just as Agent David entered it.

"Gibbs briefed me on the situation when he called me. Is Edward alright?"

Mustang was amused. He'd love to know what the blond's reaction to knowing how concerned about him everyone was would be, even those who had only known him for a day. "Fullmetal is fine. He's asleep and will stay that way for quite some time," he told her. "Have there been any new developments?"

She looked at him for a moment, an indecipherable expression on her face before it went carefully neutral. "Nothing that will help point us to Moore's location. We do believe he is now working with at least two other people. Multiple witnesses saw Moore talking with two men who appeared to be homeless before leaving with them. No one seems to know these men or where the three of them went, but they were able to provide us with a sketch of the men. Your technical analyst is trying to find camera footage that has the two men on it to see if they match the sketches and if we can find out who they are," she added, looking at JJ and Reid.

"I'm sure she will. There aren't many people who can disappear so effectively that Garcia can't find them," JJ said, her lips curling into a fond smile. "Oh, before I forget, Agent McGee is in room two seventeen, and Edward is asleep in room two nineteen."

Mustang inwardly cringed. He would've accidentally neglected to tell the NCIS agent where her teammate and her charge were located if JJ hadn't said anything.

Ziva nodded. "Thank you Agent Jareau."

"You can call me JJ. Everyone does," she said with a smile that the other woman returned.

"JJ, then." Ziva's eyes flicked back towards Mustang. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"In the unlikely event Fullmetal wakes up before we're back, would you be willing to buy him some food? He'll be starving after using that much alchemic energy, and he is _very_ vocal when he's hungry," Mustang warned her.

Her eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement. "He sounds like someone else I know. I'm sure we can arrange something," she told him, her tone slightly warmer than it had been a few minutes ago. Mustang was a little confused at the change, since he wasn't sure what he had done to earn her aloofness to begin with, but he decided that was a mystery best left to be solved at a later date.

"Thank you," he said, nodding at her before the agents exchanged goodbyes and he was following JJ and Reid back to the SUV. The drive back to NCIS was as uneventful as every other drive to and from the headquarters had been, though the lack of the blond alchemist was noticeable. JJ phoned Hotch while they were driving to fill him in on the plan.

Not for the first time, Mustang had to marvel at this world's technology and wonder how much Amestris would change if they could somehow develop it for themselves. The best they could do in Amestris were two-way radios and telephones. In the case of the radios the other person had to be within a certain radius to receive the transmission, while the telephone lines were exposed and vulnerable targets, as well as not yet reaching the entire country. In some of the most rural areas of the country, phones hadn't yet reached the small villages.

Once they had passed through the security check point, they found an empty parking space close to where Edward and Mustang had appeared through the portal. By unspoken agreement, the three of them climbed out of the car and proceeded to linger. There was no point for Mustang to go inside. If a portal tried to open, he wouldn't have time to come back out and go through with Edward's plan.

"JJ, Doctor Reid, do either of you have paper and a pen I could use?" Mustang asked. Reid nodded and produced the requested items from his brown leather messenger bag, handing them over. "Thank you." He started writing, using the hood of the car as an impromptu desk. Once he was finished, he rolled the note around the handle of the dagger and secured it with a rubber band he found stashed in one of his pockets (where it had come from, he didn't know). Now all they had to do was wait.

And wait they did. For over three hours, they stood in the parking lot and waited for the next attempt to open the portal. At one-point JJ asked if they were sure that there would be another attempt, but Mustang reminded her about the Elrics' stubbornness. They spoke about a lot of different things. Mustang told them about some of Edward's early missions and they told him about some of their more infamous cases. Reid was in the middle of telling them about a case where a man who claimed to be a sociology professor had sought him and Rossi out to admit to killing women, and that if they didn't hurry, five more people would be killed. Reid had just reached the part where he'd figured out how to find the hostages when Mustang felt the first traces of another alchemic surge.

He moved rapidly over to the center of the area where the portal had opened so that he was standing directly under it and gripped the hit of Moore's knife firmly. As the energy began to crackle blue above him, he used a move Maes had taught him once, launching the dagger as hard as he could straight up. The three of them watched as it flew nearly six meters before it simply vanished. The surge ended a moment after the dagger disappeared, and Mustang held his breath for almost thirty seconds, but nothing else happened.

"Now we just have to hope Alphonse and the others got it," Mustang said as he went back to JJ and Reid at the car, looking back over his shoulder at where the dagger had vanished. He hoped this plan worked.

* * *

 _Central City, Amestris…_

Alphonse stared blankly at the array that first his brother, and now Mustang and Moore had disappeared through for nearly two minutes before snapping out of his shock. The General had said that he was going upstairs to interrogate Moore. Al had followed and had reached the door just in time to see Moore activate the array for a second time and the two men vanish. The first thing he needed to do was tell Captain Hawkeye so she could figure out what to do about Mustang's disappearance. As Mustang's second-in-command, she was also the next highest ranked officer involved in this situation.

He located her as she was entering the building after dispatching the rest of Mustang's team to look for Edward. He apologised and told her what happened, taking full responsibility for the fact that he had neglected to take the Stone Moore had used the first time from the criminal after he'd sent Edward through the portal, and he'd neglected to search Moore for weapons or any other contraband. He hung his head, ready for the reprimand he rightly deserved.

Hawkeye placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezed it until he looked up and his eyes locked with hers. "This isn't your fault, Alphonse," she said simply. "It happened, and now we have to deal with it and find a way to get them home. You can continue to blame yourself, or you can put your energy towards studying that array and figuring out how we can use it to bring them back. You're the only alchemist we have available at the moment."

He nodded firmly, taking her words to heart. "I will, Captain. I promise. I'm going back up there to study it, but if you could find me some paper and a pen, I would appreciate it."

She nodded and released him, and he turned and went back upstairs. A short time later Fuery arrived with a pad of paper, a clipboard, and a pen, and Al set to work. For three hours, he studied the array, dissecting every symbol contained within the circle, trying to understand it, to figure out what it would take to activate it and bring his brother and the General home. Other members of Mustang's team checked in from time to time, but none of them bothered him when they saw what he was doing.

* * *

Finally, he sat back on his heels and sighed. He'd concluded that he wasn't nearly strong enough to activate the array alone – not without the help of a Philosopher's Stone. This array was just as demanding as the human transmutation one from _that_ night, and he'd only been able to activate that one with his brother's help. He needed help from someone just as strong, if not stronger, than his brother. With that in mind, he found Havoc and asked him to drive him to the nearest phone.

He fed some coins into the phone and dialed an all too familiar number, mentally bracing himself for what was about to happen.

" _Curtis Butcher Shop_ ," a warm, rough masculine voice answered on the third ring.

"Hello Sig. It's Alphonse. May I speak to Teacher please?" he asked and heard an affirmative grunt. He heard the huge man put the receiver down and waited.

" _Alphonse?"_

"Hello, Teacher," he said respectfully. "I'm really, really sorry to bother you, but Brother and I need your help. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to, but I can't help him on my own."

" _What are you talking about? Spit it out!"_ she barked over the line and Al winced before obeying the order. He explained the situation to her in as much detail as he could. After a moment of silence while she processed everything he'd said, the explosion he'd expected began. She lectured him for ten minutes – mostly in the vein of how ridiculous they were for still being involved with the military – before she and Sig agreed to catch the next train, leaving Mason in charge of the shop for a few days. He heard Sig's deep voice telling his wife that the next train left in an hour. She didn't even say goodbye before hanging up the phone, but Al didn't mind. He was just grateful Teacher would be here to help soon.

He sighed and opened the phone booth door. Havoc was waiting just outside, his ever-present cigarette clamped in his lips, wispy smoke curling up from the burning tip. "She's on her way. They'll probably be here tomorrow, depending on how much on time the trains are. We should probably head back to the warehouse. I want to look at the array some more. We need to know as much about it as we can if we're going to pull this off."

"Cheer up, Al," Havoc replied, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Al had never understood the appeal of smoking for Havoc. It had never bothered him when he was in the armour, since he couldn't smell it, but now that he was back in his real body it did, although he tried not to show it other than wrinkling his nose slightly. "The boss and the chief survived the last time they got stuck together somewhere. The boss will probably be more annoyed that he got caught by surprise than anything. Between that and your brother's tendency to find all kinds of trouble, he'll probably drive the General crazy. The General will lose his cool, and then your brother will end up doing something insane, like breaking off his arm and hitting the General with it."

Al stopped and looked back at the phone. "I should probably call Winry too," he said. "Last time, Brother had Truth's protection, but this time he doesn't. He might come back with his automail needing repairs, and Winry will be really mad if I don't give her a warning ahead of time."

Havoc nodded. "Might not be a bad idea. I'll wait for you out here."

Al ducked back into the phone booth and made another call. As it turned out, Winry was just as irate as Izumi had been once she heard about what had happened, but at least her lecture didn't last as long as Teacher's had. She wanted to come out straight away, but Al convinced her to wait until they'd gotten Ed and Mustang back. She'd protested that if he was badly hurt, she needed to be there to fix his automail.

"If Brother is hurt, he'll be going straight to a hospital for treatment. You'd have to wait until the doctors clear you to work on his automail," he argued back.

She continued arguing until he finally pointed out that they didn't know if Ed would need his automail replaced or just fixed, and it would be easier if she stayed in Rush Valley until they knew what he needed. Winry finally relented only once Alphonse promised to call her every day, even if there was nothing new to tell her, and immediately after something happened or Ed was found. She threatened him with bodily harm (the least of which would be her wrench impacting his skull) if he didn't call the second he could once they got Mustang and Ed home. He promised immediately, the threat more than enough to make him suitably afraid of incurring the blonde mechanic's wrath.

* * *

After making his phone calls, Al and Havoc returned to the warehouse, where Al continued studying the array for the rest of the day and late into the night. He didn't bother with sleeping and only ate when Breda brought him some food around nine o'clock. He always had at least two of Mustang's team with him and while they weren't alchemists and couldn't help him with the array, he was glad for their company.

Hawkeye arrived shortly before midnight for an update on everything. She'd been in a meeting with Grumman, filling him in on the situation. After that, she'd been tending to the remaining workload that their office had to deal with, which had been interrupted by Al's call for help. He told her about Izumi and Sig coming out to help and that Winry would be staying in Rush Valley until she was needed. He also explained the array to her as much as he could but had to admit that everything he'd learned from studying it wouldn't help them get the two alchemists back immediately.

She seemed disappointed by this news but was quick to assure him that she wasn't disappointed in _him_ in any way. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't felt relieved by that fact.

"What's going to happen now, as long as General Mustang is gone?" he asked, noting that the rest of Mustang's team was listening alertly.

"After your brother's interdimensional trip, General Mustang and I devised a plan, in case something of this sort happened again, although we never expected to actually have to implement it. As far as the High Command is concerned, Führer Grumman has sent them on a highly-classified mission that no one except for the three of them knows about."

"And the Führer is willing to go along with all of this?" Al asked. It was true that Führer Grumman was the only person outside of Mustang's team, Winry and Pinako, and Gracia Hughes who knew what had actually happened three months ago, but Al didn't expect him to be quite so willing to go along with them in this.

Hawkeye nodded. "You said Mrs. Curtis is arriving tomorrow, correct?" Al nodded. "Then you are going back to the Hughes' house to get some sleep. I've already alerted Gracia."

"But, Captain –" Al began, wanting to stay and keep studying the array. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that he had stayed up all night studying something related to alchemy.

"How do you expect to have enough energy and strength to help your teacher tomorrow if you're exhausted?" she interrupted him with brutal logic.

Al started to open his mouth but realised that the Captain had a point. He only nodded and followed her out of the warehouse. As they got into the car, she gave orders for Breda and Falman to stand guard for the rest of the night.

Gracia had been briefed about Edward and Mustang's disappearance, but no more than that, since they didn't have any absolutes on where the array had sent the two alchemists. Elysia would be given the story about the highly classified mission. Even though it was past midnight when they reached the Hughes' apartment, and even though they tried to be quiet, their arrival woke Elysia who came out from her room, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Elysia, you should be in bed," Gracia scolded gently.

"I heard th' door," she muttered. She saw Al and Hawkeye standing in the entryway. "Hi Miss Riza! Big brother Al!" she said with tired enthusiasm. She leaned around, as if looking for something. "Where's big brother Ed?"

"He, uh, he got sent on a classified mission with your Uncle Roy," Al said. "They had to leave immediately, so he didn't have time to wait and say goodbye. They should be back in a couple of days though."

"Oh." The little girl seemed disappointed. "You're home late, big brother."

"And he's going to go to bed as soon as he eats the sandwich I left in the kitchen for him," Gracia replied. "Which is also where you need to go, Elysia. You have school tomorrow."

"Okay, mama," Elysia said, although she looked disappointed that she wouldn't get to spend time with Al.

"Tell you what, Elysia," Al said. "Why don't you sit with me while I eat, and then you and I will go to bed together. I'll tuck you in before I go to my room."

"Okay!" the little girl said, darting forward and grabbing Al's hand, dragging him towards the kitchen.

"Make sure he eats, Elysia," Gracia called after them.

Alphonse settled the little girl at the table with a small glass of water, before digging into the sandwich that Gracia had left on a plate for him. He had to admit that it was much appreciated, not having realised just how hungry he was, since his stomach had been tied up in knots all day with his worry over his brother's safety. Elysia interpreted her mother's order to mean that she had to literally stare Alphonse down, watching every bite he took.

After a few minutes, as Al was swallowing the last of his sandwich, Gracia entered the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching her daughter and her semi-adopted son with a fond smile on her face, despite her private concerns for her other semi-adopted son. "Alphonse, are you finished?"

"Yes, Miss Gracia," Al said, standing up and starting to carry his plate over to the sink to wash it, but she stopped him.

"I'll take care of your plate, Al," she said. "You go tuck Elysia back in like you promised, and then take a shower and get into your own bed."

Alphonse didn't both arguing. Izumi and Sig wouldn't be arriving for several hours yet, and now that he'd been forced to take a break away from the array, he could admit to being tired. He left the plate in the sink and then took Elysia's hand and led her back to her room, where he helped her into her bed and tucked her in before kissing her on the forehead affectionately. After that he headed to the bathroom for a shower. Half an hour later found him in the room he and Ed shared, lying on his side and staring blankly at the empty bed on the opposite side of the room before he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

He awoke the next morning to Elysia jumping on his bed, chattering excitedly about there being people there to visit him. He grabbed her and tackled her down to the bed so he could get up, causing her to giggle as she bounced lightly on the bed. He disappeared into the bathroom long enough to change clothes, returning to put his shoes on. Once he stood up, she bounced off the bed and beat him to the door and grabbed his hand, dragging him determinedly back to the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of Izumi, Sig, and Gracia sitting around the kitchen table, sipping from mugs of coffee. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that it was nearly seven-fifteen in the morning, which surprised Al slightly. He had expected that – based on his own experience with the train system of Amestris –they would have arrived later in the day. Their train from Dublith must have either been running right on schedule or hadn't had to make many stops since it was travelling overnight.

Gracia interrupted his musings by pushing a cup of coffee into his hands. He took a few fortifying sips as she saw to it that her daughter got breakfast. There wasn't much chatter after Al greeted his Teacher and her husband, but he joined Elysia in a light breakfast of fruit and a small plate of eggs. He ate quickly, knowing that Izumi wouldn't be pleased if he delayed unnecessarily. As soon as he was finished, Izumi and Sig both stood up and bade Gracia goodbye, thanking her for the coffee. Al followed right on their heels, assuring Gracia he'd check in with her later on and calling a reminder to Elysia to be good at school.

Fuery was waiting outside for them with a car. He greeted them warmly as they climbed in. Al immediately asked for any updates, but there weren't any. He hadn't really expected there would be, but he could still hope. He made small talk with Izumi and Sig about how everything was going in Dublith and with their shop. She was surprisingly forthcoming about her health when he tentatively asked about that as well. Whatever Hohenheim had done, it had healed her completely, it seemed. Strain and the use of alchemy no longer caused her to vomit copious amounts of blood, and she had more energy and physical strength than she'd had in years, which Sig was very happy about.

* * *

It didn't take them long to reach the warehouse which housed the array. Izumi greeted Hawkeye and the other members of Mustang's team politely, but after that ignored them in favour of looking over the array for herself. She spent a good half hour looking over the array before rejoining them.

"All right. Let's try to get my other idiot pupil and his commanding officer back," she said. Al started to move over to the array, but Izumi stopped him. "No. I'll try and open it myself first. They may need someone to help them back through the portal. We don't know anything about where the portal opens up, after all."

"Okay, Teacher," Al nodded and moved to stand next to her while she took up a kneeling position next to the array.

"Is everyone clear?" Izumi asked and received confirmations that they were. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders before holding her hands just above the array. "Are you ready?" she asked Al, eyeing him with a sidelong glance.

"Yes, Teacher" he said, a variety of possible arrays he might need already floating through his mind, ready for him to use them. He brought his hands close together, ready to clap at a moment's notice.

She nodded, closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and pressed her hands down on the outer circle of the array. The whole array lit up blue and, for a moment, Al thought she'd be able to do it, but then she suddenly let out a pained gasp and pulled her hands back, releasing the array. As soon as the blue light faded, Sig was immediately at her side, helping her stand.

Al watched while she assured Sig she was alright and waited until her breathing was less labored before he asked the question everyone wanted answered. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. The array was too strong. I let it go before it could rebound on me," Izumi explained through gritted teeth, her frustration obvious. Al swore under his breath, careful to make sure that his Teacher didn't hear the oath – she would have beat him black and blue if she heard him picking up Edward's bad habit of cursing. Izumi worked for another minute to get her breathing back under control. "Okay. Let me rest for half an hour, and then we'll try again. Alphonse, this time you'll help me open the portal. It may just need two people." She paused for a moment with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Are there any State Alchemists you can trust with this?" she asked Hawkeye.

"Major Armstrong?" Al offered, looking over at Mustang's team, focusing on Hawkeye primarily.

Hawkeye nodded slowly as she thought it over. "He has proven himself very loyal to General Mustang. He also kept your secret when you asked him to. He's here in Central. He should be able and willing to help," she finally said.

"Someone needs to get him. He needs to be on hand for our next attempt to open the portal," Izumi said and Al flinched at her tone. She was not very happy.

Hawkeye nodded at Havoc, and he immediately saluted before disappearing out the door. Sig helped Izumi over to the wall and sat down with her, rubbing her back, the two of them murmuring quietly to one another. Al stood off to the side with Hawkeye and the others. He was alternatively glaring at the array and subtly keeping an attentive, concerned eye on his teacher. Havoc returned in under thirty minutes with the hulking figure of Major Armstrong striding behind him.

"Good morning, everyone!" the major boomed, causing Al to twitch slightly. He had forgotten how loud Armstrong was – and he sounded very different now that Al was back in his human body than he had when Al had been in the armour and didn't have ears that could be damaged by loud sounds. "I hear young Edward and Brigadier General Mustang have run into trouble. How may I assist you in your endeavors to get them back?" His blue eyes swept the room, landing first on Alphonse, and then on Sig and Izumi. "Young Alphonse! It warms my heart to see you out and about after your hospitalisation! I was thrilled to hear that you have been cleared to rejoin your brother on his missions for the Brigadier General!" He moved to sweep Al up into a bone-crushing hug, but Al managed to evade him without making it _look_ like he was evading him.

"Thank you, Major," he smiled a little nervously. He wasn't sure if the major would try for a second hug. Thankfully, the other alchemist didn't, as he and Sig were now in some sort of muscle-flexing showdown. After a few very confusing moments, the two men nodded at each other, pleased expressions on their faces as they shook hands. Izumi was watching Sig with a fond look that always startled Al every time he saw it. She soon realised that she was surrounded by people who were the next thing to strangers and put on a more business-like expression as she turned to Armstrong.

"Thank you for coming and lending your assistance, Major Armstrong," she said, only sounding slightly stiff about thanking someone. Clearly, despite working with the major and his sister on the Promised Day, Izumi still didn't approve of the military.

"Not a problem, Mrs. Curtis, I assure you!" Armstrong assured her loudly. She didn't seem impressed with the level of volume he used, especially in a confined space like the warehouse.

"What we're about to tell you and what you help us with must remain a secret from everyone except those present. Can you do that?" she asked sternly.

Armstrong immediately turned completely serious. "I swear on my family's line that nothing that happens in this room will be repeated to anyone outside of those here," he said solemnly.

Izumi nodded in acceptance. "Three months ago, Truth sent Edward and his idiot commanding officer to another dimension to hunt down a rogue alchemist who had discovered some Philosopher's Stones and was using them to murder the inhabitants of the other dimension. Once they completed their task, Truth brought them back." Everyone could see the pieces coming together in Armstrong's head as he took in the story and then looked at the array in the middle of the room.

"Would I be correct in assuming that this rogue was the former State Alchemist named Thomas Harding, the Boiling Alchemist?" he queried.

Izumi looked at Alphonse, who nodded. "Yes. Now, the boys were assigned to find and apprehend a burglar by the name of Jarrod Moore two days ago. Yesterday they found him and pursued him when he didn't surrender. This is where they cornered him, but it was a trap. Moore, despite having no training, was an alchemist. He had just enough energy to perform the weakest transmutations. He was also armed with a Philosopher's Stone, just like Harding. Moore blamed Edward and Mustang for the death of Harding, whom he viewed as an adoptive brother. So he set a trap and the boys fell into it. From what Alphonse told me, Edward managed to get him out of the array, but didn't have time to save himself."

"Alphonse secured Moore and called our office, but when the General came up to interrogate Moore and look over the array, Moore got loose and both of them were in the array when he activated it again," Hawkeye added.

"As far as we can tell, and based on some of the things Moore said to Edward and Alphonse before he activated it, this array opens a portal, and we believe that it goes to the same dimension Edward and Mustang were sent to three months ago," Izumi finished.

Other than his question about the identity of the alchemist Edward and Mustang had been sent after the first time, Armstrong had remained silent, listening intently to every word that was said. "What do you require from me?" he asked immediately. Alphonse felt a surge of fondness for the older alchemist. This was one of the reasons the boys and Mustang trusted him so much. Armstrong was willing to help any of his friends at the drop of a hat and the boys were certainly his friends.

"I tried to activate the array myself, but my strength alone isn't enough. This time, Alphonse and I are going to try together. If we are successful and Edward and Mustang are within reach of the portal, we may require your help in assisting them back through the portal, since we may only have a matter of moments. This is a powerful array, and there's no telling how long we'll be able to hold it," Izumi said.

Armstrong nodded. "It would be my honor to assist with this. When do you want to make the next attempt?" he asked.

Al saw Izumi's eyes glint with approval and believe that this was a very good sign. Izumi still didn't trust the military, and he knew she wasn't happy with the fact that Edward had become a State Alchemist, nor that Alphonse was permitted to assist his brother on his missions. After the Promised Day was over, she had sat down with Edward and they'd had a long discussion about whether or not he would remain with the military once his contract was up. However, Edward hadn't really talked with Al about that, other than the fact that they had had it. Al knew that his brother still hadn't really made up his mind, but he still had some time before he had to make that decision.

"We're ready to try again now," Izumi said and Armstrong nodded. Izumi took up her position again, and Al walked a few steps away before kneeling. Armstrong stood on his left. "Everyone clear?" she asked and once again received confirmation from Mustang's team. "On three, Alphonse. One. Two. Three!"

They placed their hands down simultaneously on the array and activated it. The blue energy crackled around the array and lit it up. They saw the energy swirling in the middle of the array, trying to clear itself so they could see through it. Armstrong stood at the ready and Al could tell that everyone was holding their breaths, waiting to see if they would succeed. Sweat started to drip down Al's face and he knew that Teacher was feeling the strain just as much. They held the array for nearly thirty seconds, pouring their energy into it when Izumi suddenly shouted. "Alphonse! Stop!" he immediately cut his connection with a pained cry and only Armstrong stopped him from collapsing onto his side. A quick glance to the side told him that Izumi was in the same position, with Sig there supporting her. Concerned brown eyes and a blurry face topped with blonde hair filled his vision.

"Alphonse? Are you alright?" Hawkeye asked, concern bleeding into her voice as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Al blinked a few times and her face came into focus. He started to regulate his breathing like Teacher had taught him and was able to answer her after about thirty seconds. "Yeah, just tired. Also, really hungry," he added with a small grin.

Hawkeye looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear it. Rest for a few more minutes and we'll see if we can find you something to eat," she said, patting his shoulder gently. He nodded and she moved over to Izumi to – presumably – ask her the same things.

"Thanks for the assist, Major," Al said, patting the giant hand on his shoulder lightly. Armstrong got the message and removed his hand.

"Anytime, young Alphonse! I am pleased that you're alright," he replied, flashing Al a blinding smile which the younger alchemist weakly returned. At least the Strong-Arm Alchemist didn't try to hug him.

* * *

Hawkeye allowed them to rest for ten minutes before suggesting they head for a nearby restaurant. There weren't any arguments. Havoc and Fuery stayed behind with the array this time, with the promise that food would be brought back for them. Hawkeye and Falman took over the roles of drivers and took them to the café. They all piled around a table and perused the menu for a few minutes before a waiter came over and they placed their orders. He raised a brow at the amount of food Al and Izumi ordered, but was soon trembling slightly under the gazes of both Izumi and Hawkeye. He moved away from their table the second he could and as fast as he could without actually running. Al sniggered into his water, not envying the man, considering he'd been on the receiving end of glares from both women at different times over the past few years.

They waited for their food to come, passing the time with small talk. Armstrong was very interested in learning what Izumi and Sig had been up to since the Promised Day, as well as asking about what it had been like when Edward and Alphonse had been her students. Izumi indulged some of his questions, but he ended up mainly conversing with Sig once the food arrived. Both Al and Izumi were far too invested in their meals to do anything other than eat. Once they had finished their food and coffees, they settled the bill. Al was surprised to see that they'd spent nearly three hours at the restaurant. He felt a lot better now and said so when Hawkeye asked.

* * *

They all piled back into the cars and headed back for the warehouse. Al didn't pay much attention to what the adults were saying. He was too busy thinking about his brother and hoping that Edward was okay. Even more importantly, he needed to get Izumi alone for a few moments. Just before they'd ended their attempt, he thought he'd felt something inside the array that he hadn't expected, and he needed to know if Izumi had felt the same thing. He watched the buildings pass by in a blur before they slowed down in front of a now too-familiar building. He sighed quietly. He was starting to get sick of being in this warehouse.

They got to the second level of the warehouse when Al lightly grabbed Izumi's arm. She must've heard the silent question for privacy on his face because she didn't shake him off or strike him. She just nodded to Sig and glared at everyone else until they got the hint and kept going.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling her arm out of his grip and glaring at him.

"Did you feel something in that array?" he asked, a little nervously. Izumi wasn't fond of stupid or pointless questions and she wasn't afraid to show it with her fists. "I could have sworn I felt…" he trailed off, not wanting to voice it for some stupid reason.

Izumi's dark eyes softened a little. "Yes. I could feel Edward's alchemy through the array." Al's eyes snapped back up to her and she lost the soft look. "What we sensed was his alchemy. He must've sensed my first attempt and used his tracking array to figure out what was going on the second time. That means he was close enough to the portal to sense the alchemic disturbance and that he was in good enough shape to use his alchemy," she pointed out.

Al's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't realised that, having been too focused on whether he was just imagining his brother's energy or not. He sagged a little in relief. "I swear, Brother had better come out of this alive, or I'm going to kill him myself for putting us through this," he muttered. The corner of Izumi's lips twitched. Then Al remembered something Ed had said about the other dimension. "I hope he didn't overextend himself if he did use his tracking array." He mumbled that last more to himself, but Izumi heard it anyway.

"You told me that when he knocked himself out using the array here about a month ago that he could hold the array for nearly eight minutes. He knows his limits," she said curtly.

Al shook his head. "I know but that was here in Amestris. Brother told me that the alchemic energy in the other dimension is weak. Less than what we have here, so he doesn't draw it in as quickly there as he does here, and when he performed alchemy there, he uses more energy that he would here. He created an array that helps him draw the energy in more quickly, but it doesn't stay active for more than fifteen minutes, if he's lucky."

Izumi's eyes widened in surprise at that information. Edward had neglected to tell her that when he'd last visited her and told her the story. "You think he'll have pushed himself too much to figure out what he was sensing and who was creating it." It wasn't a question, but Al nodded and Izumi sighed. "You're probably right. He's enough of an idiot to have done that out of sheer curiosity. But I'm sure he'll be fine. He has Mustang there to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

Al relaxed a little as the truth of what she said registered. "Yeah, you're right. Assuming they haven't killed each other yet," he added as a joke. Izumi snorted before leading the way back up to the others. Hawkeye's brow rose, silently asking if he was okay, and Al nodded at her. Izumi and Al moved over to the array and were about to retake their position when Armstrong stopped them.

"Young Alphonse, I was thinking over our situation, and realised that I hadn't asked something. Does alchemy work where Edward and General Mustang are located?"

"Assuming that they really are in the same dimension where Truth sent them the last time, yes," Al admitted. "It doesn't work as well there as it does here, but they can use it." He glanced at Izumi, wondering where Armstrong was going with this, and saw the same curiosity in her eyes.

"Hmm. I'd hoped so," Armstrong said. "Shouldn't we trust them to be able to get themselves through the portal rather than having me waiting on the sidelines to assist them? If so, I can lend my incredible strength that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations to activating this array!" Al was impressed with the idea – although he'd half thought it might come to that – and with the fact that Armstrong hadn't ripped off his shirt.

Izumi gave the idea some thought. "I think that it is reasonable to trust those two idiots to get themselves through the portal, as you suggested. I take it this means you are willing to lend us your alchemy to assist us in opening this portal?" she asked and Armstrong gave an enthusiastic nod. "Then it's agreed. Lend us a hand and let's see if the three of us together can get it to open and stay open." She moved back to her spot, while Al and Armstrong spread themselves out so they were equally spaced around the array.

"Are you sure you want to try again so soon?" Hawkeye asked, her eyes on Alphonse and the two non-State Alchemists nodded.

"On three," Izumi said and they placed their hands in position. "One. Two. Three!" They moved in perfect sync with each other and activated the array once more. Blue energy once again lit the room up, causing an electric hum to roll through the air. Al could feel how much lighter his own burden was this time and he could sense it was the same for Izumi. Something silver flashed in front of him and his eyes widened when he realised what it was.

"Stop!" he called out, panicked that the object would fall back through the portal. Izumi and Armstrong immediately removed their hands when Al wrenched his hands back. None of them were tired or out of breath yet, but Al spared no thought to that. Instead, he leapt to his feet and ran forward, snatching the dagger out of the air as it started to fall back to the ground.

The first thing he noticed was the note. The second thing he noticed was how poorly the dagger was made. He knew it wasn't Ed's just from that. Even when injured and needing to perform hasty alchemy, his brother took pride in his creations – and this one also lacked the "stylish" flair his brother usually put on his weapons.

"What is it?" Izumi asked from where she stood and Al realised he was still standing in the middle of the array. He hurried over to join his teacher, Armstrong joining them a moment later, as Mustang's team also came over.

"It's a dagger. There's a note," Al said, pulling the note off the weapon and handing it to Izumi to look at while he read the note.

"Who is it from? What does it say?" Hawkeye asked and Al started, feeling a little guilty. He'd forgotten that everyone else wanted to know what it said.

"It's from General Mustang," he said, checking the signature. He saw them exchange glances and started reading the letter out loud.

" _Alphonse,_

" _The first question I know you'll want answered: Edward is fine. Both of us felt the attempts to open the portal and he used his tracking array on the second one. He used too much energy and nearly collapsed."_

"Idiot!" Alphonse exclaimed, unable to resist the exclamation. He _knew_ his brother would do something that ridiculous without Al there to keep him in check.

"What else?" Izumi asked. Al turned his attention back to the note.

" _He is sleeping right now, but before he fell asleep, he gave me the idea to send you this note with the dagger. I'm sure you've noticed that it's not one of your brother's. It's Moore's._

" _We know you're trying to get the portal to open and stabilise so you can get us home. Fullmetal has figured that you'd have more alchemists helping you – he's theorized that you'd ask your teacher and Major Armstrong. We trust that the three of you together will be strong enough to succeed with the portal but please stop, just for a few days._

" _Moore escaped our custody. I was unconscious when we arrived and your brother fought him. However, Edward was already fatigued and he was fighting against a Stone. Edward managed to wound Moore quite grievously and relieve him of the Stone, but it turns out that he has others. We're positive that Moore doesn't know he can heal himself using the Stones, but he still escaped and we cannot leave here without securing Moore, especially while he has Stones at his disposal._

" _We've teamed up with the BAU again and have another federal agency, NCIS, backing us. Right now, we're trying to track Moore down and get him somewhere secluded so we can take him down with minimal risk to civilians. Give us three days from when you get this note. Once the three days has passed, open the portal. I believe we will have him back in our custody by then, especially with the help of the two federal agencies. If you get this note, don't open a portal to reply. Just wait the three days. If no more portal attempts are made, we'll know you got the note._

" _Alphonse, Edward told me about the promise the two of you made to each other over your mother's grave – to not risk yourself as grievously for the other as you have done in the past. If you believe that you cannot open a portal and hold it long enough for us to come through, then don't do it. We'll figure out another way to come home._

" _Captain Hawkeye, I imagine that you've implemented our plans with the Führer. Make sure everyone else knows it, so they can go along with it. Check in with Grumman every day, as if you've received correspondence from me. Alphonse, go into the office every day and ask whether they've heard anything from Fullmetal. Keep this charade up and don't breathe a word about this dimension to anyone else. We can't risk people knowing this dimension exists and that there is a way to get here._

" _Stay safe. I'll try and get Edward back in one piece but you know what he's like._

" _Brigadier General Roy Mustang"_

Aside from Al's single outburst, there had been no interruptions from anyone while he read the note. Al looked up from the paper in his hands to look at the expressions on everyone's faces. None of them looked shocked. Instead, the team looked like they always did after Mustang gave them orders, but before he dismissed them. Armstrong had a similar expression and Izumi looked like she actually approved of Mustang's words. Sig looked happy that Ed was okay.

"We'll follow the General's order. No more attempts with the portal. We'll keep this building under guard so no one else can come across the portal and try to use it or damage the array," Hawkeye ordered. She faced the Curtises. "Will you be able to stay in the city for three days? We have arrangements with many hotels and the military will pay for your hotel room."

Al was actually curious if they could before he realised the payment authorisation would go to Führer Grumman and he'd approve it when Hawkeye told him why the military was being asked to pay for their room.

"That's fine. We have plenty of things that we can get done in Central," Izumi said after a glance at her husband that received a silent nod.

"Captain, I want to help with the guard rotation," Al offered. "I'll be able to sense if something happens with the portal," he told her, wanting to give her a legitimate reason for having him help. Her eyes told him she knew exactly what he was doing, but she didn't argue with him.

"Alright. We'll have a three-man team on this place at all times for the next three days. One man inside, two watching the front entrance. The back entrance has been sealed, so no one can get in that way."

Armstrong cleared his throat. "I'm willing to offer my service to help with the guard rotation as well. I can also assign Master Sergeant Brosh and First Lieutenant Ross to help as well. I'll tell them it's classified if they ask why we're watching this building."

Hawkeye nodded. "Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. "Falman, Breda, Alphonse, take the first watch. We'll rotate in six hours. No one is to leave their post until all three members of the next watch is in place." Her glare was a threat which promised that anyone who attempted to leave a little earlier would regret it. "We'll all meet back here in exactly seventy-two hours."

Everyone dispersed shortly after Hawkeye had given her orders. The sharpshooter left with Izumi and Sig to discuss hotel arrangements. Al decided to stay in the room with the array while Falman and Breda watched the front entrance. Soon, he couldn't hear anyone in the warehouse and there was no noise beyond the normal city noises outside. Al sat against a section of the wall where he could see the entrance to the room, but could easily roll behind a pillar if he needed to.

Three days. Three days until he could bring his brother home. He just hoped that his reckless brother could survive those three days in one piece.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

Edward woke up tired. He could tell that he had slept for way too long, but he also knew that he wouldn't have woken up any sooner. A quick assessment of his energy levels told him that although his alchemic energy levels were nearly full, his physical energy was not quite where it should be. He was still tired and he was starving. He was nearly willing to swear that his stomach was trying to eat itself, but at the same time he also felt extremely nauseous, and just the thought of eating made his stomach turn. He knew that feeling would stop once he actually ate something, but he still had to get out of bed and find food. That just sounded like a lot of effort. A look at the clock told him that it was nearly five o'clock, but when he glanced out the window he could see the pre-dawn light and realised he'd slept for nearly twenty-four hours. His bladder was begging him to get out of bed, so he got his arms underneath him and levered himself up off the mattress.

The first thing he did when he came out of the bathroom was actually take in his surroundings properly. Mustang was still asleep, and Ed was slightly surprised that he hadn't woken the older alchemist, as he hadn't made a point to be quiet on his journey to the bathroom. He watched his commander for another moment, but Mustang wasn't faking being asleep. Ed shrugged and went looking for food. Out in the small kitchenette/living area, he found some containers holding something that sort of resembled Xingese food. He sniffed each container and they all smelled alright, so he dug into them. It wasn't until he'd finished the fourth container that he wondered if any of these were for Mustang. His stomach was no longer trying to devour itself, but he was still hungry, so he continued eating. By now, Mustang knew the risks of leaving food unattended around Ed.

He polished off the last container and looked around the room some more. Now that he'd eaten, he felt much better. He was still a little tired and he knew he should probably get some more sleep, but he was too busy thinking. He found himself wishing Mustang was awake, because he needed to know if he'd gotten a message to Al. He sighed softly before standing up from the table and cleaning up his mess. Mustang slept through it all, much to Edward's amusement. He climbed back into his bed and curled up under the blankets. It took him less time to fall asleep than he thought it would.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he felt far better than he had before. Having something to eat and going back to bed seemed to have been the right thing to do. He was still a little tired, but his physical energy was much higher than it had been the first time he'd woken. He glanced at the clock again and saw that he'd only been asleep for a little over an hour. Mustang was no longer in bed, so Edward figured that the sound of someone else moving in the room was the reason he was awake now. He sat up in bed, the sheets falling off of him to pool in his lap as his golden eyes searched for his boss. He spotted him in the kitchen making some coffee. That was _definitely_ something Edward could get out of bed for: fresh coffee.

He joined Mustang in the seating area, sliding into a chair at the table as Mustang poured two mugs. "Mornin'," he offered gruffly and Mustang looked over at him.

"Wow, a 'morning' from you? You feeling okay?" His onyx eyes twinkled in amusement. Ed scowled but Mustang pushed a cup of coffee across the table as he took a seat of his own, so his scowl lessened significantly.

"Hilarious, Mustang," he deadpanned, taking a sip of the hot drink and feeling his brain cells working a bit quicker as the caffeine hit his system. "How long have you been up?" he asked, as he realised the man's hair was damp, which meant he'd gone for a shower, though he was just dressed in his blue military pants and white undershirt. Despite his earlier exhaustion, Ed was a little surprised he hadn't woken up when Mustang had been in the shower. After spending so many years living with Al, who hadn't been able to shower when he was in the armour, he wasn't used to hearing one running nearby. Thankfully, both Gracia and Elysia showered before he went to bed, so it was very rare that he was woken up by the sound of someone showering.

"Ten minutes or so," Mustang replied, mimicking Ed and taking a sip of his own coffee. "What time did you first wake up?"

"Around five. How'd you know I was up earlier?" Edward asked.

"You ate all the food."

Edward's face lit up in remembrance. "Oh, yeah." He gulped down more of his coffee. "Did anything happen while I was out?" Now that he had caffeine in his system, he was feeling a lot better and much more alert.

"I used your idea to get a message to Alphonse," Mustang told him. "We think it worked, because there haven't been any more attempts to open the portal since I threw the dagger through it."

Ed sighed. "Good." He slumped against the back of the chair. "How much time did you ask him to give us?"

"Three days from when he got the note, which was about noon yesterday. So we have over two days to find Moore and get him to the NCIS parking lot." Mustang replied and Ed nodded.

"That's doable." He was fairly optimistic. Two days to track down and apprehend Moore should be more than enough with the skills of the agents and the aid of this dimension's technology. "I hope Teacher and Al come up with a way to make it less strenuous to open that portal in those three days."

"I'm sure they can," Mustang said matter-of-factly. Edward just let out a _hrm_ in response as he drank his coffee. Mustang's eyes roamed over the hotel room, looking for something to say or do when he spotted two bags. "Oh, before I forget," he said as he stood and grabbed one of the bags, which he handed to Edward. "Agent Jareau and Miss Garcia went out shopping for us. Apparently our clothes stand out, so they bought us some civilian clothing. These are yours."

Ed took the bag, his eyes flashing with intrigue and curiosity. He looked into it and his face split into a wide grin before he disappeared into the bathroom. About thirty seconds later, Mustang heard the shower running. "I guess he likes them," Mustang muttered into his cup of coffee.

* * *

Ed emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later and Mustang could see why the blond alchemist had been happy. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a black shirt with a red and gold robot-looking design on the front, and a lightweight, red, zip-up hoodie that was currently hanging open. Mustang had to give the two blonde BAU members some credit – the clothes fit Ed well and were very close to his normal style.

"Do you even know what's on your shirt?" Mustang asked once Ed sat back down at the table, borrowed hairbrush in his hand.

"'Course I do. Miss Garcia gave me a rundown of something she called 'pop culture' the last time we were here. This is Iron Man. He's a superhero out of some comics. She told me that I reminded her of him, something about us being above genius level or something," the teen replied, brushing his golden hair and growling when the brush snagged painfully on a knot. Once he'd tamed his hair, braiding it back again, he turned his attention back to Mustang. "What'd they get you?" he asked, curious to know what the women had thought to get Mustang.

"Just some dress pants and long-sleeve shirts," Mustang told him and Edward snorted. That sounded about right. Mustang ignored the snort as he headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.

* * *

They found themselves in the NCIS building a little under an hour later. Ed had been bombarded with questions about his health by nearly everyone, and Mustang couldn't stop laughing when the blond's eye started twitching in annoyance. Well, he couldn't until Ed stomped on his foot with a not-so-innocent look and an even less convincing 'whoops'. The BAU team seemed to recognise the twitch as the sign of annoyance it was and stopped asking him how he was feeling. JJ tactfully brought up his new outfit, asking him how he liked it and if the clothes were the right size. Ed was happy with the change in subject and thanked the two women for the clothes, who seemed very proud of themselves.

The BAU team decided to take to the streets, interviewing everyone whose name came up in connection with the two men who were spotted with Moore. Garcia had identified them the previous day, just after Edward had gone back to the hotel, and had spent the rest of the day and late into the night running their names – Joshua Champion and Trevor Holt – through every database she could find. She'd pulled the names of family, friends, acquaintances, old co-workers, even their schoolteachers, before passing them onto Gibbs.

Suffice to say, there were a _lot_ of names. Gibbs hid it well, but he was clearly relieved to hear the offer to interview the people on the list from the BAU team. After all, with his team and them combined, they could split the list between four groups of two each. Gibbs had McGee to stay back to run through every record he could get his hands on and to act as liaison between the other four teams. Gibbs was running down leads from his desk, passing on anything that seemed relevant to whichever team was nearby. This left Edward and Mustang without much to do.

At least until Abby appeared out of thin air a few hours after the teams headed out, nearly giving the two alchemists heart attacks. Judging from the lack of reaction from Gibbs and McGee, this was something that the forensic scientist did often. Both were still on the phone, but Abby seemed happy to wait in front of Gibbs' desk until he finished his call. Once he'd placed his phone back in its cradle, he gave Abby a look and she immediately handed the paper she was holding to him.

"I didn't find anything useful from the parking lot, but I do have Moore's blood from his and Edward's fight if we need it. Can I steal them?" she spoke almost too fast to follow, ending her request with a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the alchemists. Both looked up from where they were seated near Tony's desk. Ed looked suspicious, while Mustang looked bemused.

"Go ahead," Gibbs said as he placed the paper he had taken from her where he needed it. Abby squealed in delight before spinning on her heels and facing the alchemists and grabbed Edward's right wrist, not even flinching at the feel of the metal prosthesis, dragging him to his feet and behind her.

Mustang's chuckles turned into an indignant "Hey!" when he felt himself being pulled off his feet. He stumbled forward before getting his feet underneath him properly and could focus on what was happening. Edward had managed to grab him by the lapel of his jacket and was dragging him along. He glared at the teen, who simply rolled his eyes.

"If I have to go, so do you. Deal with it," Ed told him, leaving no room for argument. Mustang huffed in annoyance and pulled his jacket out of his subordinate's grip but continued following them as they piled into the elevator. Only once the doors slid shut did Abby let go of her hostage. Ed took the opportunity to tuck his hands into the pocket of his hoodie to prevent her from dragging him again. "So, what's up anyway?" he asked the raven-haired woman.

"You wanted to see the results from the tests I did on your blood," she reminded him. "Technically, I got the results back yesterday, but you weren't here, so I couldn't tell you." The elevator _dinged_ and the doors slid open. They followed her into the lab and Mustang took his time looking around. He hadn't been given the tour yet, so Abby rectified that situation. Once Abby was satisfied that Mustang was suitably impressed with her lab, she led them over to her computer and pulling up the results from the tests she'd done on Edward's blood. She moved aside with a big, sweeping 'ta da!' gesture.

"Alright," Ed said after a few seconds of looking at each item. "I'll admit it. I have no clue what I'm supposed to be looking at."

"I thought you were supposed to be a genius," Mustang quipped and Edward gave him a bored look.

"Alright, smart ass, what's it mean?" he asked, waving a hand at the screens and waiting, one eyebrow raised.

Mustang couldn't answer.

"That's what I thought," Ed said, sounding a little smug.

Abby apparently decided to explain before an argument or fight could break out between the two alchemists. "See, look here," she said, pointing to one of the graphs displayed on one of the screens. "This is your DNA profile. Basically we can use this to figure out your race, gender, age, hair colour, eye colour, blood type, and identify any anomalies from this. These two spots are what're so interesting. After comparing your profile with our DNA database, I found that there's no corresponding match to your race, which means your race is unknown to our databases. Now, since you claim to be from a different dimension, that's not really surprising, but it's still fascinating. But the _really_ interesting thing is this anomaly right here." She indicated a highlighted area on the graph. "I have no clue what it is. It isn't any kind of blood disease or genetic mutation I've ever seen, and I can't find anything close to it anywhere."

Mustang could tell this had captured Edward's interest, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued himself. He didn't know all of the ways this 'DNA profile' could be used, but if a law enforcement agency was able to assemble it from a blood sample, he had no doubt that it could be useful somehow.

"Huh." Edward looked thoughtful as he considered what she'd said. "What do you think it means?" Curious gold eyes found hers and she almost hesitated before voicing her theory, even if it was the only one that made sense, considering what she knew about the teen.

"Well…I think it has something to do with your alchemy," she told him. "Of course, I don't really have a way to prove that, so I can't be sure," she added wistfully. She hated not being able to confirm a hypothesis.

"I think I know how you can test it," Ed said, smirking a little as he aimed a side-long glance at Mustang. Abby looked interested, while Mustang looked worried for his personal health. "Stab him and test his blood. He's an alchemist too, so if you're right, the same anomaly should show up in his blood."

Abby's eyes lit up in excitement. "Why didn't I think of that?! Thanks, Ed!" She grabbed him into a quick, but tight hug before releasing him just as suddenly and turning to Mustang. "Can I take some of your blood? Please?"

Mustang looked like he wanted to refuse, so Ed decided to intervene before he could. "Let me put it this way, Mustang." His golden eyes flashed menacingly. " _I_ want to know that that is, so either you let her take some, or _I'll_ take it." Not much could stop Edward from solving a mystery he was interested in, and he knew that Mustang knew that too. He also knew that Mustang would know that he wouldn't be as nice as Abby if he was forced to "obtain" a blood sample.

"Fine. You can draw a sample of my blood," Mustang sighed before putting up a hand to halt Abby's excitement. " _However_ , I have one condition. You have to destroy any samples you take from me, Fullmetal, or Moore after we've caught him, and remove any trace of your test results. I won't let that sort of thing stay in this dimension."

"I can do that," she promised. He nodded, apparently believing her. He was sent down to Ducky with instructions to get him to draw the blood for her, and he didn't bother arguing.

* * *

Mustang descended down to the morgue level in the elevator, hearing the hiss as the doors slid open and feeling the coolness of the room. Ducky was standing near one of the metal tables, laying out several different tools on a sterile cloth and checking each one over carefully.

"Ah, General Mustang. What can I do for you?" he asked when he noticed Mustang standing near the door.

"Miss Sciuto sent me down here to ask you to draw a sample of my blood," he said. "She wants to compare it to the sample she took from Fullmetal to try to confirm some theory she has about our alchemy."

Ducky just chuckled with amusement. "I wondered how long it would take Abby to get you to agree to a request like that," he observed. "Abby can be quite dogged in her pursuit of a scientific curiosity. It's what makes her so good at what she does. Her relentless determination – although Tony would call it stubborn hard-headedness, no doubt – has contributed to our team solving many of our cases. When something doesn't seem right to her, she chases it down until she figures out what was bothering her."

"Fullmetal is much the same way," Mustang admitted. "It was his and his brother's determination to research the Philosopher's Stone that led to us uncovering the threat to our country."

"Well, this won't take but a moment," Ducky said, moving over to a drawer and pulling out a sealed syringe, collection vial, tourniquet, cotton ball, and bandage. "Just take a seat right there on that stool and roll up your sleeve for me." He brought the supplies over and laid them out, before moving to the sink to wash his hands and put on some gloves.

Mustang did as he was instructed, sitting on the stool and unbuttoning the cuff of his new shirt before rolling the sleeve up to above his elbow. It only took a matter of moments before Ducky had the tourniquet on and was sliding the needle into his vein. The sight of blood didn't bother Mustang, and in less than five minutes, Ducky was handing him the small tube of blood with instructions to take it right up to Abby. "I'm terribly sorry, General. I'd very much enjoy talking with you for a while longer, but I have a guest coming in that I have to finish preparing for."

Mustang was a little confused but nodded. "Quite all right. I'm sure we'll get an opportunity to talk later. Thank you Doctor Mallard." He took the vial and headed back to Abby's lab.

* * *

"That was quick," Edward commented when he entered the lab again.

"Doctor Mallard said something about having a guest coming in?" Mustang half-asked, half-stated as he handed the blood over to an eager Abby.

"Yeah. That's Ducky's way of saying he's expecting a corpse soon," Abby said, almost absentmindedly as she moved around them, preparing the blood for the tests she needed to run. Mustang exchanged a startled look with Edward. Abby noticed the looks and shrugged. "It's just one of his quirks. Ducky feels like it's his job to treat the victims with respect, even while he autopsies them. He talks to them and just…" she shrugged again. "I don't know how else to explain it, except as being respectful of the body in death, since the killer wasn't respectful to them while they were alive."

"Eh, we're all a bit quirky," Ed said with a shrug. "Mustang especially." Abby giggled and Mustang shot his subordinate an exasperated look. Edward just smirked back before facing the forensic scientist and asking her a series of questions about the tests she was running. She answered happily until Ed finally ran out of questions. Mustang glanced at the clock and was surprised to see how long they'd been down here for. He cleared his throat to catch the others' attention.

"We should head back up and see if the agents have made any progress," he said. Ed sighed, but nodded.

"Let us know when you've gotten the results please, Abby," Edward requested ad Abby assured them she would as she waved them out of her lab. The elevator took them back up to the floor Gibbs' team was situated and headed over to their bullpen to find that the other half of their team had rejoined them and were grouped around Gibbs' desk. DiNozzo spotted them first and offered a half wave before focusing back on whatever Gibbs was saying.

Edward and Mustang approached the group. "What's going on?" Mustang asked, before Ed could.

"We received a report of someone who spotted Moore, Holt, and Champion in a part of the city known for junkies and homeless people," Gibbs answered. "DiNozzo and Ziva brought him in after we got the report from the local police. I'm waiting for a confirmation on the witness' reliability before we take a statement or any action based on what he saw. Agent Garcia is checking for any working security cameras in the area to see if we can confirm the statement."

"How will you determine if he is reliable?" Edward asked, curious.

"He agreed to a drug test," DiNozzo answered. "If he comes back clean – or at least clean during the time in questions – we can be more trusting of his word."

"Huh. Cool," Ed said. "How long until you get the results of the drug test back?"

DiNozzo looked at his watch. "Within the hour. The test is being processed by the local crime lab."

Ed was impressed. While Amestris didn't have a huge problem with illegal drugs (alcohol was far more common) their drug tests always took forever to give them results. "So, did anything interesting happen while you were interviewing people?" he asked, changing the subject.

DiNozzo launched into a story about one of Champion's relatives whom they'd interviewed. Evidently, the woman had smelled like kitty litter and had spent half the time they were there trying to convince Ziva to adopt a ferret. When Edward chuckled at some of Tony's over-the-top descriptions, Ziva decided to one-up Tony and tell them about DiNozzo being forced to stay in the car because the woman they were interviewing said that her dog didn't like him and she wanted his 'negative energy' away from her precious baby.

Tony took this as a challenge and proceeded to tell the two alchemists about other embarrassing moments for Ziva from other cases – often having to do with the fact that she was from another country and didn't always understand American customs, or her lack of knowledge of American slang or English not being her first language. Ziva retaliated: for each of Tony's stories, she had an embarrassing one about him. Ed thought it was hilarious and even Mustang had struggled not to laugh at them from time to time.

McGee appeared disinterested and focused on his work, but every now and then he'd make a comment about a case they hadn't mentioned and either Tony or Ziva (depending on which one the story didn't embarrass) would launch into that tale. McGee quickly hid a shit-eating grin when Ed gave him a side-long glance of amusement. The story challenge finally came to a halt when Gibbs' desk phone rang.

"Gibbs," he answered and listened for the thirty seconds it took the caller to make his point. "Thanks. Send a copy of the results here, please," he ordered, hanging up the phone.

"Who was that, boss?" Tony asked, sitting up straight and becoming more professional.

"Test results are back. Our witness has been deemed reliable. Tony, go and take a statement from our witness, and then I want you and Ziva to follow up on it. Ziva, call the BAU teams and let them know that we have a possible lead." Both agents sprang into action, Ziva moving to her desk and picking up her phone, while Tony disappeared from the bullpen and down a corridor to where the witness was presumably waiting.

Ziva made several quick calls to the other teams and hung up from the final one just as Tony re-entered the bullpen. "The BAU teams have been alerted, Gibbs."

"I have the address of where the witness saw Moore, Champion, and Holt, boss," Tony said, hard on the heels of Ziva's statement.

"Go."

Ziva and Tony both gathered their things and were starting to leave when Edward stood up. "Can I go?" They looked at him, and then at Gibbs. "I'm bored and I want food," Edward added.

Gibbs seemed to contemplate for a moment. "Sure. As long as you follow their lead."

Edward nodded eagerly. "Sure." He followed Tony and Ziva towards the elevator, seeing Mustang giving him a worried gaze. He rolled his eyes theatrically but smiled reassuringly at his commander before the doors slid shut.

* * *

Mustang had never seen Fullmetal agree to follow orders so eagerly. If there was one thing that Fullmetal was known for – other than being the youngest State Alchemist in history and being the People's Alchemist – it was his blatant refusal to follow orders unless he had no other choice.

"That could either end really well, or horribly catastrophic," Mustang remarked as he headed over towards Agent David's desk, figuring that she wouldn't mind if he borrowed her chair until she returned.

"How so?" McGee asked and Gibbs looked up as well, mildly interested.

"There are dozens of things Fullmetal is a genius with and dozens of things he is well-known for in our country," Mustang explained. "Having patience and being tactful aren't on any of those lists."

McGee snorted, but Mustang was surprised to see a contemplative expression on Gibbs' face.

"How is it that Edward came about being recruited, if you don't mind me asking? To be recruited into any military branch in his country, you have to meet certain criteria and be willing to conform to the rules. Edward does not strike me as that kind of person." Gibbs leaned back in his chair and McGee was listening to the conversation with open curiosity.

Mustang contemplated his answer for a few moments. Edward and Alphonse still didn't like talking about the night they committed the taboo, so he wasn't about to tell their story himself. It wasn't his place to do so. However, he could explain the basics without going into all the details.

"I recruited Fullmetal into the military when he was twelve. Before you say anything," Mustang's onyx eyes flashed as the two agents stared at him in disbelief, "there was a specific set of circumstances that caused me to extend the offer. I'm not going to tell you what they were, but I don't make a habit of recruiting twelve-year-olds. Fullmetal and his brother needed help – help only the military could provide – and the resources that being a State Alchemist would provide him. Their father had abandoned the family years ago, and their mother had passed away, so they had no money to support themselves. With the income that Fullmetal received from being a State Alchemist, he was able to provide for himself and his brother."

"You recruited him when he was twelve?" McGee asked, sounding faint.

"I didn't actively seek him out to recruit him," Mustang explained. "At the time I was stationed in East City, which is about a day's travel by train from the village where he was born and raised, rumours reached me that there was an exceptionally powerful alchemist in his hometown. After investigating alchemists who were known to live in that area, I theorized that the alchemist in question was Fullmetal and Alphonse's father, Van Hohenheim. I had very briefly met him during the Ishvalan Civil War, but he didn't have any interest in joining the military. I hoped to get another chance to convince him to change his mind. What I actually found was an eleven-year-old and a nine-year-old who were both powerful enough and skilled enough to perform a transmutation that should have decimated them. In truth, Fullmetal could have powered that array alone and still come out alive, but as I said before they were in a lot of trouble and needed help only the military could provide. His joining the military opened doors for him to solve those problems which would have ordinarily stayed firmly shut. Besides, if I hadn't recruited him –"

"Someone else would have," Gibbs finished for him, his tone grim. Mustang nodded, a little proud that he was the first one out of the Amestrians and the BAU to have thrown Gibbs for enough of a loop that he lost his professional mask.

"Fullmetal had just lost his arm and his leg, which was only a small part of the trouble he was in. I offered to sponsor him through the State Alchemists' exam once he recovered, and although I was fairly confident he would accept my offer, I didn't honestly expect to hear from him for at least a few years. Automail surgery is nothing to laugh at, from what I understand, and the typical recovery time for the replacement of _one_ limb is at least a year and a half to two years. Fullmetal managed a recovery time for two limbs in a year," Mustang revealed, still sounding slightly stunned at his youngest subordinate's unwillingness to conform to social or medical norms. "When he was ready, he came to East City to meet me, and we came to an arrangement. In return for my sponsoring him through the exam, he would serve under me and would have free reign to do whatever research he wanted, as long as he completed the missions I assigned him. As he was the youngest State Alchemist in history, his successes and achievements would also reflect onto me, since I was the one who found him and recruited him."

"So there was something in it for you too," Gibbs said shrewdly, and Mustang shrugged.

"It wasn't a secret. Fullmetal knew what he was getting into when I made my offer. In Amestris, and especially in the upper echelons of the military, there's always an element of 'If I do this for you, what do I get out of it?'."

"So you got reflected glory, and Edward got access to high-level research materials and enough funds to support himself and his brother," Gibbs mused. "But his attitude?"

Mustang shrugged. "As a State Alchemist, he was held to a different standard than the average soldier, and – partly due to his age – there weren't many officers who were willing to court-martial a pre-teen because of his attitude even when he did cause offense. The other part was likely because he and his brother were both sacrifices in Father's apocalyptic plans, but the fact that he is a literal genius did help things there. However, Fullmetal knew exactly where the line was and he never once crossed it, the war with Father aside. He may have bent it, cracked it even, but never once has he crossed it. I may not have been the ideal commanding officer for a twelve-year-old, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was the best option he had and both of us knew it. Even if he is a complete shit most of the time."

"Would you do it the same way if you got the chance?" Gibbs asked.

Mustang considered for a moment. "Yes," he said without hesitation. "There are certain things I'd change, perhaps, but none of the major events that led to where we are now. I'd still go to Resembool and offer to sponsor him. I'd still send him on most of the missions he's completed. I'd even still let him learn the horrific things he's learned, like what a Philosopher's Stone truly is. I'd still do all of that, and I have no doubt that Fullmetal would be agreeing with me if he were here."

The two agents didn't say anything further – couldn't really say anything further – and simply nodded before getting back to work.

* * *

Edward watched the cityscape roll by from the sedan's back window. He'd spent some of the time in the car amusing himself by trying to remember the route back to the NCIS building by picking the weirdest landmarks he could find. Tony and Ziva were mostly quiet, although they did ask Edward a few questions they hadn't yet had a chance to ask since he'd dropped in. Finally they'd run out of questions and now the discussion was on what to have for lunch once they finished investigating the lead they'd been given. Ziva wanted Ed to try some of her country's cuisine, a comment that had sparked a few curious questions about Israel and Ziva herself from Edward, and Tony was all for something classically American. Edward had to admit that both options sounded really good.

"Miss Ziva, the food from your country sounds _really_ good. Why don't we save it as our reward for catching Moore? American food is probably more readily available, after all," Ed offered as a compromise. (And Al said he didn't know _how_ to compromise!)

Ziva considered for a moment. "Okay. But if we have Israeli food, I'll cook it," she decided and Tony looked a little offended.

"It took you months to cook for me!" he cried.

Ziva winked at Edward in the rear-view mirror. "Yes, well, he has better manners than you." Edward stifled a laugh at the pout on Tony's face. It looked ridiculous on the older man. "But this means we get burgers for lunch. And they'd better be _good_ burgers," Ziva threatened.

"What do you take me for? I refuse to eat sub-standard food. We'll have the best burgers in the city after we're done here," Tony swore as he pulled the car up in front of the run-down building the witness had told them about.

Ed looked at it critically. "It looks like one good push and it'd fall over," he commented drily. Ziva chuckled as they climbed out of the car and approached the building. It didn't look much better up close. "Seriously. Those stairs don't look like they'd support a cat, let alone us." Both agents grimaced at the condition of the front steps.

"I believe the saying is 'senior field agents first', yes?" Ziva asked, looking pointedly at Tony.

Edward sighed and moved as close to the building as he could without actually climbing the steps and clapping his hands, visualizing the array he needed in his mind.

"Ed, wait!"

He ignored Ziva's cry as he placed his hands on the ground and activated his chosen array. Ten seconds later, he had the answers they needed as he straightened up. "Moore's not in there. No one is. There _is_ someone in that alleyway," he pointed towards the side of the building, "but he looks homeless." He wobbled a bit but was surprisingly feeling fine. He did activate his absorbing array though, just in case.

"I'll go question the homeless dude," DiNozzo offered, heading in the direction Edward had indicated.

"Don't be so reckless next time! What if you'd collapsed again?" Ziva scolded a startled Edward as soon as DiNozzo was gone. "DiNozzo and I don't know enough about alchemy to know how to help you if you do."

"I wouldn't have. Not from a tracking array that localized. Besides, being reckless would've been us going in that building" he pointed out.

"True, but you still need to be careful," she scolded gently and Ed huffed but didn't argue like he would've with Al or Mustang. DiNozzo emerged from the alleyway and Ed frowned.

"Bet you the homeless guy saw nothing," Ed said, nodding towards the other agent.

"Hey, do you mind me asking something a little personal?" Ziva asked as they watched Tony meander towards them.

Edward shrugged. "No, but if it's too personal, I won't answer if I don't want to."

Ziva nodded. "Do you and Brigadier General Mustang get along?"

Ed frowned at her, curious as to where this question came from, but she didn't say anything. "Well…yeah. We may not act like we do, but we do care about each other somewhat. Even if he's an egotistical bastard most of the time. Like, we care enough about each other that we would fight for each other and would be upset if the other one got hurt or died, but we don't spend time together unless it's mission related. But I know he wouldn't put me or my brother in more danger than we could handle, and I know he cares about us, even if he can't show it."

"Why can't he show it?" Ziva asked.

Ed shrugged. "Part of it is military regulations. If he shows too much concern for me – as his subordinate – people will question the appropriateness of our relationship. He has a reputation for being protective of his subordinates, but that's when we're hurt or sick. The other part is because he's literally the only fire alchemist in Amestris – in any country that we know of. I'm widely acknowledged as the expert in practically every alchemic field. If I can't do a particular style of alchemy, I study it as much as I can, and within a few months, I'm an expert in it. But there is absolutely nothing written about flame alchemy, and the only person who has that knowledge and is still alive is Mustang."

"What does that have to do with why he can't show you that he cares about you?" Ziva asked as Tony rejoined them.

"People know both of those things – that I'm an expert in alchemy, and that Mustang is the only flame alchemist. If they thought we got along, some of them would likely have thought that I had been told the secrets of flame alchemy, and they would have tried to get that information at any cost," Edward explained. "No one is dumb enough to confront Mustang directly, but people seem to underestimate me because of my age, so it tends to make me a target. A few have tried to come after me, despite the fact that Mustang and I were constantly trying to tear each other's throats out, but word finally spread that I know shit about flame alchemy and that kidnapping me never works out well for the kidnappers."

Both agents looked shocked at what he'd just said, giving him looks that seemed to be a mix of disbelief, sadness, and pity. "What?" he snapped.

"You've been kidnapped? More than once?" DiNozzo asked.

Edward gave him a puzzled look. "Well, yeah." His confirmation didn't do anything to change the expressions on their faces. "State Alchemists aren't the most popular people, considering the role they played in the Ishvalan Civil War. Plus, like I said, I'm beyond a genius in alchemy. There are also a few crazies who think alchemy isn't natural and those who use it are 'abominations' – which is stupid, since you're either born with alchemic talent or you're not. There are some people who thought they could trade my life for the release of their friends, family, or group leader. I've been kidnapped so that the person could brag that he'd kidnapped 'The People's Alchemist', or when I've been on a mission for Mustang and the person I'm after is trying to keep me from exposing whatever illegal thing they've been doing – lots of reasons. I've actually lost count of the number of times I've been held prisoner or hostage."

"Oh my god," DiNozzo sounded slightly stunned and Ed smirked at him, but before he could say anything in response, his stomach growled.

"Oh yeah. I'm hungry. Can we get food now?" Ed asked, suddenly remembering the whole reason he had come with them. The agents didn't move, apparently still shocked by what he'd said. "Guys? Get burgers now; be weird later."

"Weird is Tony's default setting," Ziva quipped, almost automatically, but the comment did stop them from gaping at Edward and actually start moving again.

"You're the weird one," Tony sulked as they climbed into the car.

Ed chuckled from the backseat, which caused Ziva to laugh as well, while Tony pouted. However, Tony got the car started; at the same time assuring them he knew the perfect place to get some classic American burgers. Ziva made a face like she didn't believe him, but he ignored her skepticism. It took them a good half hour of driving to get there, during which Ziva called Gibbs to give him the bad news. They went into the restaurant and placed their orders before Ziva and Ed went to wait by the car, leaving DiNozzo to bring out the food.

* * *

They chatted about a lot of things. Ziva was intensely curious about Amestris but was careful not to mention it by name or mention the fact that it was in another dimension, just in case anyone passing by overheard them, and Ed was equally as curious about Israel. By common, yet unspoken consent, they both stayed clear of any uncomfortably personal questions. Both of them noticed a large, dark blue van when it pulled into the parking lot, stopping a few spots away from the sedan, and both of them tensed slightly as give men of various builds and colours piled out.

The men wandered towards the restaurant, aiming for casual and missing a mile as they attempted to pretend that they weren't all looking right at Edward. Ziva and Edward both knew that they were in danger, but neither of them moved or did anything to indicate that they knew it. As soon as the men were just in front of Ziva and Edward, they attacked, but the two of them were ready.

Edward's first punch – a jab with his automail hand – broke the guy's nose and sent him reeling back, blood pouring down his face. An automail elbow to the throat sent the second man to his knees as he struggled to draw in a breath. Ziva had two men on her, but she seemed to be holding her own well enough that Edward was impressed. He wondered what would happen between Al and Ziva if they were to spar without the use of alchemy. The fifth guy approached Edward more carefully than the last two and Edward could tell by the way he moved that he had some kind of training in hand-to-hand.

Due to the difference in fighting styles – Ed's all about circling and using an opponent's force against them, the way Teacher had instructed them and this man's all about attempting to grapple and use his height and weight to his advantage – the fight went on for much longer than Edward had thought it would. It was also nearly as challenging as a fight against Al in the armour had been, especially since Ed wasn't using alchemy as there were too many bystanders around. Ultimately, he managed to dodge a wild swing and get alongside the man, landing a carefully executed blow to the temple and knocking him out cold.

As his opponent went down, he saw that the first two men he'd hit had had time to recover and were back on their feet, leaving him in a situation similar to Ziva. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw DiNozzo exit the restaurant, weapon drawn but still held at his side, and Ed knew he wouldn't be able to help without risking innocent civilians.

"Stop. Unless you want me to kill her."

DiNozzo's eyes widened and Ed knew from his expression what had happened even before he turned around. One of Ziva's attackers had gotten the drop on the Israeli woman. He turned to face the man –Champion, if he was remembering correctly – and saw him with an arm wrapped around Ziva's neck, a pistol pressed tightly to her temple. Her second attacker also had a weapon trained on her. He met her gaze and knew from the look on her face. She couldn't get herself out of this situation without getting shot, and they both knew Ed wasn't quick enough to take both men out without one of them or a bystander getting hurt or killed. Even if Ed used his alchemy, he had no doubt that the men had been warned not to give him an opportunity to clap his hands.

He relaxed out of his fighting stance, watching as his two opponents approached him from the front. As a result, he was able to make several quick gestures behind his back before his arms were grabbed roughly and forced further up behind his back in two painful arm locks. He hoped DiNozzo had seen the gestures as the men dragged him and Ziva towards the van and shoved inside.

Two of the men got into the back with them, each one with a gun trained on one of the prisoners. Ed gave the pistol a bored look and settled back in his seat, determined not to show these idiots any reaction. All his previous kidnapping experience would come in handy, at least. He noticed that only four men got in the van with them, which meant that they'd left the man he'd knocked out behind. The van's tires squealed harshly and Ed could smell burned rubber as they sped away from the scene. As they drove, he had only one thought in the forefront of his mind.

Mustang was going to be _so_ pissed when he found out Ed had been kidnapped in _this_ dimension too.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

Ziva and Ed sat flush against each other's side against the side of the van, watching their captors like hawks. Ziva was bleeding from a minor head wound and her cheek looked swollen and bruised. Ed had come out of the fight with nothing more than a split lip, and the bleeding had already stopped. The man Ed had hit first wasn't as lucky – his nose was undoubtedly broken. Both his eyes had been blackened, and his nose was practically flat against his face now. Blood was still trickling from it and Ed did not envy the man through the healing process.

The van was still speeding and they were making all sorts of turns. Ed figured either this hideout was really well hidden, or the driver was trying to throw off anyone who might be following them. After travelling for nearly an hour, they finally pulled up to an abandoned apartment complex and the van drove into the underground parking garage. They came to a stop and Ziva and Ed were pulled roughly out of the van and each had a gun pressed to their backs to make them walk forward.

Ed saw Ziva considering disarming the man behind her, something the two of them could easily do, but Ed caught her eye and shook his head slightly. She looked confused, but nodded her head slightly, indicating that she'd follow his lead on this for the time being. The walk upstairs was tense, and Ed could have sworn that he'd seen a few doors open just a crack as they walked past. That complicated matters. If there were innocent civilians here, even if they were just squatters – Ed would have to be more careful than normal when the fight eventually broke out.

They were marched up to an apartment on the sixth floor and shoved inside. The four men hadn't said a word during the entire rid and subsequent walk. They split into two teams – two to handle Ziva, and two to handle Ed. Ziva was forced to sit on a dodgy-looking wooden chair before her wrists were handcuffed together behind her back and she was tied to the chair. She glared at all of them defiantly but didn't struggle.

Yet.

Edward was forced to sit on the ground with his back against the side of the bed, while his arms were stretched out as far as they could go and tied to the bed frame – one at the footboard, and one at the headboard. His legs were left untied, but his shoulder port started to ache almost immediately from the weight of his automail as the muscles were stretched to their limit. His left arm was strained, but without the weight of his automail, it wasn't quite as uncomfortable – although if he remained tied up long enough this way, his arm would eventually start to fall asleep. The man with the broken nose (Ed had mentally dubbed him 'Dick #1') stood over him for a moment, before his fist swung, solidly impacting Ed's jaw and snapping his head to the side.

Ed blinked up at him, a bemused look on his face. The man had a satisfied look on his face. "That was for my nose," he growled.

Ed let out a huff of laughter. "It's an improvement if you ask me," he snarked and was rewarded with another punch.

"Edward!" Ziva called, but Edward just shook his head at her.

The second man, Holt, grabbed Dick #1 by the arm and pulled him back. "Leave him alone. You know what Moore said. He wants him as uninjured as possible." Holt's voice was firm and he kept his eyes locked on the other man's until Dick #1 shoved him off and headed for the door. This left Holt, Champion, and Dick #2 in the room with them.

"I hope you realise," Ed said as the three others made to follow Dick #1 out, "that Moore has absolutely no intention of keeping whatever promises he made you. He's a low-level thief and I'd bet money that he's planning to kill you all as soon as he's done with me and Mustang." He watched them with a completely bored expression on his face.

"He's already kept his promise," Dick #2, the man whom Ed had elbowed in the throat, rasped as he pulled a gold bar out of his backpack. Ed took one look at it and snorted.

"You think that's _real_?" he laughed before looking at their faces. "Aw, you poor naïve bastards. I almost feel sorry for you," he simpered. Ziva remained quiet, watching the exchange. The other three exchanged glances before Holt spoke up.

"It's real. We watched Moore make it with our own eyes. Anyone with God-given powers like that is someone who is worthy of them. A man worthy of a blessing like that from the Lord would never lie about what he creates and breaks promises he's made."

There was a heartbeat of silence as Edward absorbed that answer, a stunned expression crossing his face before it slowly turned to one of rage.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" he exploded. "You really think he's got gifts from some fucking god?! You're even dumber than I thought! He's using a small, red stone to do the shit he's doing, and that Stone was created by slaughtering dozens, if not hundreds of innocent people!"

The three men seemed stunned by the teen's outburst, but Edward didn't give them a chance to recover. "I don't give two fucks if you believe me or not. Take that useless lump of metal to a jeweler or bank or somewhere else where they can tell you whether or it's real or not, but don't come crying to me when they tell you the same thing I did." Ed looked at the gold bar and scoffed at it. The three men looked at him before looking back at each other and leaving abruptly.

There were several moments of silence as their footsteps receded down the hallway before Ziva shifted her weight in her chair. "Edward, are you alright?" She tested her bonds, but they were tied well and she couldn't get out of them.

"Totally fine," Ed promised as he pulled on his restraints, trying to see if the ropes had any give to them. Unfortunately, he'd been tied in such a way that he couldn't get any leverage or slack in the ropes. Sighing, he concentrated on his right hand, curling his fingers in towards his palm. If he could just get to the spot he needed…yes! He managed to hit a hidden release, and a small, sharp blade emerged from the tip of his ring finger. It had taken a _lot_ of begging and pleading with Winry to get her to add the blade after his third kidnapping. He'd been tied in a similar way to this and he couldn't get loose. Thankfully, Al had found him before anything worse had happened.

It had taken Winry numerous attempts to get the blade perfect. The blade was small, thin, and flexible so it didn't mess with the movement of the finger, but once released, it became stiffer so Ed could use it. It took some awkward contorting of his hand and wrist to position the blade against the ropes – he was just glad that he didn't feel anything in his hand and wrist, or he would likely be in agony. Carefully, he sawed through the rope and let out a small sigh of relief when it finally snapped and his right shoulder was no longer stretched out so much. His shoulder muscles weren't conditioned to support the weight of his automail that way, although normally he could carry the weight easily.

He quickly cut through the rope on his left hand and triggered the blade to slide back into his finger. He rolled his shoulders to ease the ache in the muscles. His left wrist was a little red, but not too sore, so he just shook it to get the blood circulating again before moving over to Ziva. He untied the ropes and with a clever series of contortions, she got her hands in front of her so that she could pick the lock on her handcuffs with a slender lock pick that she pulled out from the inside of the waistband of her slacks.

"You good?" he asked, eyeing her rapidly bruising cheek.

"This isn't anything I haven't had before," she assured him. She moved over to the window. "We need to go."

Ed shook his head. "No, we need to wait." She gave him a stunned look. "Just for ten minutes or so. What I said to them will have seeded some doubt and shaken their faith in Moore. They'll be trying to decide if they should go to get that gold looked at or not. Either way, we need to wait until they have had enough time to do it, so we don't get caught. If Moore was here, he would have been waiting here for us."

"So, we wait?" she sighed and Ed nodded. They sat quietly on the floor, Ed not trusting the look of the bed, and they waited. They didn't talk, due to their concern that doing so would attract the attention of anyone guarding the room. If a guard came in to check on them…

* * *

The ten minutes they'd agreed on ticked by slowly. Finally, the time passed and they got to their feet and looked out the window. There was a fire escape on the side of the building, but it wasn't outside _their_ window. It was lined up with what was likely the apartment next to them. Ed eyed the distance thoughtfully. He was reasonably certain he'd be able to make it across without any help, but he wasn't certain Ziva could. He could transmute a ledge out of the exterior brick for her to use to climb along, but if there was someone looking out a window, the light from the alchemic reaction would be a dead giveaway.

"Do you think you can jump that distance?" he whispered and moved out of her way so she could get a better look.

She studied the situation for a moment. "I can do it," she said, sounding completely certain. She'd had to do this sort of thing a few times when she was with Mossad.

Ed didn't question her further, trusting that she was being honest. He pulled himself out of the window and gripped the ledge before getting his feet firmly planted on the side of the building. He rocked side to side to build up some momentum before launching himself across the gap, his fingers stretched out to grab. He caught the side railing of the fire escape and clamped his automail hand around it, although a groan escaped as his full body weight pulled on his port and the already-abused muscles of his shoulder. But he'd made it and pulled himself up over the railing before standing aside to make room for Ziva.

She mimicked his method. Clinging to the window ledge, she planted her feet, built up some momentum and threw herself towards the fire escape. She grabbed the same railing Ed did, but her body slammed into the railing and she let out a gasp. She felt her fingers slip when her body hit, and for one frightening moment she thought she might actually slip, but Ed was right there, pulling her up and over so they were both standing firmly on the metal platform.

"Thanks," she said as she caught her breath.

"Don't mention it," Ed said before they headed down the six flights of stairs. Once they hit the ground, Ziva took a look around to see if she knew where they were. She didn't recognise anything, so they picked a direction and headed away from the building.

"Ed, I was wondering… _was_ that gold real?" Ziva asked.

He shrugged. "No clue. If I'd had a chance to examine it further, I could have told you for sure. Most alchemists in Amestris could make gold if they wanted to, but it's illegal to do so – you can be punished with imprisonment and a huge fine if you're caught. But with a Philosopher's Stone, it would be ridiculously easy to do so, even if Moore didn't know the formula for it."

"So you were just trying to get them to leave so we could escape," she realised. Edward nodded, and they continued a brisk walk away from the building. "So…what's the plan now?"

"Well, we need to –" Ed was cut off when red energy sparked up the side of the building next to them, and part of the wall exploded in a shower of dust and powdered brick. Ed pushed Ziva away from the building and both of them paused as large chunks of the building hit the pavement where she'd been standing. Ed looked back in the direction they'd come and saw an irate Moore with his hand raised. A glint of red could be seen between his fingers. He grabbed Ziva and propelled her forward at a run, even as he twisted around and flipped Moore off with the other hand. She got her feet under herself and matched him stride for stride. "Now we need to find somewhere we can fight without hurting anyone," Ed finished. Another glance back showed that Moore and at least two others – Holt and Champion, he thought – were hauling ass after them. "It also needs to be a place where I can send a message to Mustang so he can find us!" Ed said, leaping to the side, tucking his head so that his shoulder hit the pavement, and rolling back to his feet in one smooth movement as he continued to run.

"What kind of message?" Ziva asked as she grabbed Ed's arm and pulled him sharply around a corner. She glanced over at him and saw him grinning.

"I need to blow something up."

* * *

Mustang was starting to get concerned when almost an hour went by after Agent David called Gibbs to report that the lead had fizzled out. He knew Fullmetal's eating habits, and he also knew that the teen _never_ took an hour to eat. He hid his concern behind his professional mask, however. The last thing he wanted was to lose any respect from the agents by appearing overly worried about his subordinate. All the BAU agents had come back from their interviews, and they were just waiting for the NCIS agents and Edward to come back so they could make a new plan.

When the elevator _dinged_ a few minutes later, he felt a little bit of relief wash over him – until he realised that Agent DiNozzo was the only one to exit. The agent _slunk_ into the bullpen area with a hangdog expression on his face – and no sign of Agent David or Fullmetal.

"Tony." Gibbs' voice was neutral, but the agent flinched hard.

"Yeah boss?"

"Where are Ziva and Edward?"

"They – they were grabbed by Moore's men," Tony admitted after a moment.

Mustang wished he was surprised. _Of course_ Fullmetal had gone and gotten himself kidnapped in this dimension. The kid's bad luck carried over even into this dimension, it seemed, and of course Alphonse wasn't here to help mitigate it. The BAU team – particularly Dr. Reid and Agent Jareau – gasped in horror.

"We were getting lunch. They went out to the car to wait and left me to bring the food out. I heard a commotion a few minutes later and went outside to see the two of them fighting five guys. It looked like Edward took out two of them pretty quickly, since they were lying on the ground. By the time he took out the third guy though, the first two were back on their feet. I couldn't take a shot – not with all the bystanders around. I don't think the guys even realised I was there, to be honest. Ziva and Edward were keeping their attention. One of them grabbed Ziva around the throat and held a gun to her head, and Edward immediately gave himself up. He signed a couple of things before they grabbed him, but I didn't recognise any of them. They pulled them into a van and were gone before I could get to the sedan. I called an ambulance for the man Edward knocked out and came back here once he was gone." Tony looked pissed off and ashamed at his failure.

"DiNozzo –"

Mustang caught on something that the agent had said and cut Gibbs off before he could say anything to his agent or chastise him. "You said Fullmetal made some signs?" he demanded/asked, his "commanding officer" tone coming to the fore.

"Yeah, but I don't know what they mean," DiNozzo reminded him.

Mustang made an impatient gesture and leveled him with the sort of look he would have bestowed on a particularly idiotic private. " _You_ wouldn't. They'd have been Amestrian, most likely military signals." DiNozzo's eyes lit up as he realised where Mustang was going with this. "What were the signs? Can you make them?"

"They were like this, I think," the agent replied, making the gestures.

While not one hundred percent correct, he got them close enough that Mustang was able to figure out what Edward had 'said' and groaned.

"What is it?" Hotch asked.

"You need to get Miss Garcia to put some feelers out. Tell her to look for an explosion or something in that vein," Mustang said. "Fullmetal is going to create a very big, very messy 'Here I Am' sign for us," he told them, and JJ was immediately on the phone to the blonde tech genius.

"We'll need to start searching for them," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo, where were you when this happened?" The agent gave his superior the address and Gibbs turned to McGee. "McGee, pull up the security cameras in that area. I want to see if we can track that van back to where it's hiding."

"Checking security cameras in front of the restaurant for the van," McGee replied as Tony looked over his teammate's shoulder.

"That's the van there," he pointed to the screen.

"Put it up on the plasma," Gibbs ordered. The screen flickered into life and they gathered around it. "Run the cameras from the time Edward and Ziva left the restaurant." A moment later they were all watching the fight for themselves.

Mustang _almost_ felt sorry for the two guys Ed had hit first. An automail fist to the nose and an automail elbow to the throat were never fun. Ziva had been doing an admirable job fighting the two who had ganged up on her, until one of them pulled a gun out. She hesitated for a split second, but it was long enough for her second opponent to get his arm around her throat and pull out his own gun. Ed had just knocked out his third attacker and was about to square off with the first two again when he suddenly stopped and turned to face Ziva. Mustang could see him calculating each scenario before he put his hands behind his back – presumably making the signs to DiNozzo. He was grabbed and dragged with Ziva to the van before they were thrown in and the thugs took off, leaving their unconscious ally behind.

"Edward didn't use any alchemy. He just gave up," Morgan said, looking puzzled as he glanced over at Mustang.

"No, he didn't and he wouldn't have," Mustang said in response. "He wouldn't have risked the bystanders." At their puzzled looks, he sighed. "It's different in Amestris. Our citizens know what alchemy is and – especially in Central – they know that if an alchemic fight breaks out, they need to get out of the way. Look at the people who witnessed this fight," he said, indicating the feed. The bystanders were just standing around, watching. No one made a move to assist Edward or Ziva, even to pull out a cell phone and call the police. "Now imagine what would have happened if they saw something that you people call 'magic'."

"It's possible they would have thought it to be a street performance or a staged event for the internet, and more people would have gathered," Rossi said.

Mustang nodded. "Fullmetal knew they wouldn't have gotten out of the way. His hand-to-hand is damn near unbeatable. But surely even you could tell that once they had two guns trained on Agent David, there would've been no way to get her out of it without one of those guns firing and her getting hit." He took a look at the crestfallen faces of JJ, Tony, and Reid. "Look, I've known Fullmetal for six years now. I'm willing to bet that we have – at most – two hours before Fullmetal finds something to blow up or destroys a building. Why don't we try and figure out what area they're in at least? That way we can prepare for this fight."

They found the van on the security camera and McGee started trying to track it. He got on the phone with Garcia and between the two of them they managed to track it for some distance before losing it in an area that Gibbs and DiNozzo said was home to where those who were less affluent lived – criminals and illegal immigrants, mostly. An hour and a half after Edward had been taken, Garcia called them from the Cyber Unit.

"Someone filmed and posted a video on YouTube five minutes ago that I think you guys should see," was all she said before the plasma screen lit up again and they gathered around it once more.

* * *

Neither Edward nor Ziva could believe their luck. They'd been running for nearly fifteen minutes, with Moore, Champion, and Holt right on their tail, and they still hadn't been hit. They didn't bother with trying to fight back – Ziva's gun had been taken and Edward couldn't stop long enough to perform any alchemy without risking himself or her. If Moore didn't get him with the Stone, Champion or Holt would be able to shoot him. Edward had been shot quite enough in his life already, thank you!

Suddenly, they found themselves in a familiar area. Ziva looked around and gasped out that they were near the area where they'd been chasing that lead earlier that day. That gave Edward an idea.

"Let's put some distance between us and them," he suggested and they both dug deep. Up until now, they hadn't been running full out. Edward's vague plan had been to find an open area where he could send a signal to Mustang, then engage Moore and fight him until backup arrived and took the three men into custody. Now, he thought he had a better idea.

They continued to run, the area becoming more familiar with every block, until they found themselves in front of the dilapidated building their witness had sent them to earlier that day. Ed slid to a stop, looking around for a place to lay an ambush, when he felt the back of his neck prickle.

They were being watched.

Ed looked around again and spotted a young black teen, maybe fourteen years old, watching them disinterestedly from between two buildings. Ed jogged over to him, Ziva close behind.

"Hi. What's your name?" Ed asked, once they were in front of him. The boy straightened up, warily. His dark eyes were clear, without any sign of drug haze.

"Tim," he said, his eyes flicking continuously between the two of them.

"Awesome. Do you have a phone that can take photos and put them up on the internet?" Ed asked quickly, and the boy nodded. Ed flashed him a grin. "Excellent. I need you to hide here and film me. Three dudes are gonna be here any second now. We're gonna fight, and I need it to be posted online to get back to some friends of mine. Can you do it?"

The boy contemplated him for a moment. "Twenty bucks," he said.

Ed nodded. "Fine. Once the video has been posted, you'll get paid. You need to post it everywhere though." Tim nodded. "Miss Ziva, you need to stay with him," Ed said when she started to follow him out into the middle of the street.

"No," she started to argue, but Ed cut her off.

"You don't have your gun, and you don't have alchemy. Please stay here so you don't get hurt because of me. I promise I know what I'm doing." He could see she still wanted to argue, but a flash of red energy upended a broken-down car and she darted back over to stand next to Tim. "Go! Start recording!" he yelled at Tim, who held a phone up in response, eyes widened slightly.

More flashes of red light came, tearing up chunks of asphalt. Ed leapt and dodged out of the way, trying to stay out of line of sight of Champion and Holt so they couldn't shoot him. He wasn't entirely successful, as gunshots rang out several times, but his agility usually kept him from actually getting hit. Ziva screamed out his name, but he didn't react, not wanting to draw attention to her. Instead, he focused his attacks on the two Americans. He could deal with Moore and the Stone once he didn't have to worry about dodging bullets. It didn't take him long to get into a position where he could single out the guns and aim an attack at them, but he left himself vulnerable when he did.

His attack worked: blue alchemic energy raced along the pavement and up to the guns held by the two men. There was a huge bang as both guns exploded in their users' hands and two blood-curdling screams were heard as their fingers and hands were mangled. Both collapsed from pain and shock. Moore paid no attention to either of them and the Stone in his hand flashed at the same time Edward launched his attack on the guns. The stone pillar he transmuted hit its mark – Edward's ribs. Ed was sent flying back nearly a dozen feet before he flipped and used his automail hand as an anchor to stop himself. He clapped his hands and sent dozens of spikes back at Moore.

Moore was forced to move to dodge the ferociously quick attack – clearly he hadn't expected Edward to recover so quickly. Ed used that opportunity to clap a second time and sent a transmutation for the street in between him and Moore, remembering what Scar had done in East City. He didn't need to extend a lot of energy to do so. The ground trembled slightly before there was a massive explosion which sent more dust and dirt exploding into the air, before it gave way suddenly. The street collapsed in on itself, sending dust and chunks of debris flying everywhere. Moore used the Stone to build a shield for himself, leaving the two collapsed men vulnerable. Ed clapped a third time and created a shelter for them from the asphalt, even though it weakened the street further before he darted towards Ziva and Tim.

"You got all that?" he panted and Tim nodded, giving Edward a very wide-eyed, freaked-out look. "You posted it to the Internet?"

"Yeah. I live-streamed the whole thing."

 _Whatever that means_ , Edward thought.

"I'll share it everywhere I can as well," Tim added and Ed nodded. The dust from the street collapse was still hiding them for the moment, but the cover wouldn't last for long.

"Okay. We gotta go. Come with us," he said as he and Ziva took off running once again. Tim didn't argue, just followed in their wake. They ran two more blocks before stopping. "Okay. Share that video everywhere. You might be contacted by someone from the FBI named Penelope Garcia. If that happens, tell her we'll be one block down that way, and that we're being pursued by Moore. Also, ask her to make sure you get the twenty dollars. I don't have any money on me right now, and you need to get out of here before that man catches up to us."

Tim just nodded and tore off down the block in the opposite direction to where Ed had pointed.

"Come on, Ed," let's go," Ziva said, pulling his arm lightly. Ed followed her and they headed one block up before turning right, and then right again to end up on the opposite side of the block from Moore. They slowed to a walk to avoid detection and cut through an alleyway, getting back under the cover of the still-settling dust from the street collapse. Neither of them could see Moore, but Ed was certain that he would have pursued them as soon as he could – he wasn't likely to give up now that Edward was in reach.

"Are you alright Edward?" Ziva asked quietly. "That pillar…"

"I'm fine," he whispered back. "It won't be the first time someone's hit me with a transmuted stone pillar. It's a common fighting move for alchemists, actually." He wasn't lying, but he could feel the effects of the hit. His ribs were already starting to ache, in a way that told him that he'd likely cracked at least one – again. He was starting to wonder if he shouldn't look into the possibility of automail ribs… "How long do you think it'll take them to see that video?" he asked.

Ziva thought about it. "Well, it depends on where Tim posted it, but maybe half an hour? Less if Garcia is looking for videos that meet certain requirements."

Ed nodded and leaned against the wall to catch his breath, hoping the ache in his chest would ebb by the time Mustang arrived or Moore caught up to them. After a moment's thought, he activated his absorbing array. He hadn't used that much energy but he had a feeling he'd need all the energy he could get.

* * *

 _NCIS…_

The video on the plasma started off with red energy dancing in front of the old, run down building. DiNozzo immediately identified it as the building where their witness from the morning said he'd seen Moore. Suddenly, Edward ran out into the street from somewhere off screen, and whoever was filming moved to keep Edward in the shot, but so they could also see who he was fighting against. Ziva was nowhere to be seen. Ed sent back some attacks as he dodged others. Suddenly gunshots rang out and they could hear Ziva call the alchemist's name. Edward sent another attack forward and the guns that two of the men were holding exploded. Everyone winced when their screams pierced the air.

Everyone let out gasps when Edward was hit by the stone pillar and sent flying, but the blond quickly recovered and sent stone spikes back at Moore. While Moore was distracted, Ed slammed his hands on the ground and – in a move that Mustang recognised from East City, during the first confrontation with Scar – caused the street to explode outward in a shower of dust and chunks of asphalt, before the street collapsed in on itself. The video showed the resulting dust and debris swallowing Moore and his downed men and it showed Edward's blue alchemy creating barriers to protect the fallen men from any further injury while Moore protected himself. Mustang felt disgusted ire at the rogue Amestrian rise in his chest. The video cut off as Edward jogged towards the camera.

"At least he didn't destroy a building the way he would have if we'd been in Central," Mustang deadpanned, causing the agents around him to startle slightly. Suddenly, the bullpen area was in full action mode.

"DiNozzo, get the car. You lot," Gibbs made a gesture at Mustang and the BAU team, "follow us." They headed for the elevator. Mustang tagged along with them. They had to take two elevator trips but soon enough they were all piled into the cars and speeding through the security checkpoint. Mustang was riding with the NCIS agents to make sure he was first on the scene.

The drive out there seemed to take forever and also no time at all. DiNozzo could see where the final corner was before they'd be on the street where the fight had taken place and started to make the turn, only to find his way blocked by a teenager. He slammed the brakes on, watching in the rearview mirror as the two SUVs behind them did the same and breathed out slowly when they didn't rear end him. The kid approached his window and he rolled it down a quarter of the way, after glancing at Gibbs and receiving a nod.

"You the FBI?" the boy asked. "That kid, Edward, said the FBI might be here soon."

Mustang leaned forward to look between Tony and Gibbs. "No, I'm his boss. The FBI is in the two SUVs behind us. Are you the one who filmed him?"

The boy nodded. "Edward said to tell you that he'd be down that block," he pointed, "but he turned the corner, so I think they might be back where I was filmin' them. He said someone called Moore was fightin' them. He also said you'd be the ones payin' me," he added, holding out his hand for the cash.

"How much?" DiNozzo asked.

"Twenty," he told them, hand still out.

DiNozzo looked at Gibbs and McGee. "Either of you got any money? I think I got a ten left." McGee sighed before digging out his wallet and slapping a twenty into Tony's hand. "Here you go, kid. Thanks for your help," DiNozzo said as the boy nodded and left. Tony drove the car forward slowly, stopping a few meters from the T-intersection that had the now-gaping hole in the middle of the road. Everyone piled out of the cars and Gibbs gave the BAU the information on what the kid had said. Mustang could hear the distinct sounds of an alchemic fight happening coming from their left. The familiar sound of Edward's claps made the knot of worry that had slowly tightened the longer they went without information after his disappearance loosen a little.

"Alright," Gibbs was saying. "The BAU and we will be acting as back-up for Brigadier General Mustang and Edward. If we can, we'll get Ziva out of harm's way first. I doubt they left her armed when they took her and Edward." The agents pulled out their sidearms, just as a shot rang out, changing their minds about whether or not Ziva was armed.

"I think they're that way," Mustang said, pointing in the direction of the fighting and reaching into his pocket to pull out his ignition gloves. Gibbs nodded.

"Alright. Let's go," the older agent said. They all moved around the corner, guns held directly in front of them as Mustang exchanged his gloves, pulling them on tightly. The sight that greeted them when they finally saw the combatants was something from his worst nightmares.

"FULLMETAL! EDWARD!"

* * *

The dust had finally settled and Edward was now positive Moore had taken the bait and followed them down the street. Motioning to Ziva, they cautiously made their way out of the alley to where the two injured men were lying under the hastily constructed shelters Ed had transmuted. They pulled each man clear of the structures and tucked them in the alleyway where they'd been hiding. Both men were still alive, and their wounds weren't as horrific as Edward had feared. They'd probably lose some functionality in their hands, and they'd scar from the burn, but he didn't think they'd have to be amputated. Ziva relieved Champion of a second weapon, and Edward checked Holt, but the man didn't have any other weapons on him.

"You good?" he asked as Ziva checked the gun in her hands. Removing the magazine, she checked to see how many bullets were in it before sliding it back in place.

"I'm good," she said. "Now we wait?"

Ed nodded. Moore would likely realise they'd tricked him and would come barreling around that corner, ready to kill. The two of them stood with their backs to each other, covering each direction Moore could come from. Ed was the first one to spot him, five minutes later, and pushed Ziva out of the way of the boulder Moore launched at them.

Ziva immediately moved into action, firing a shot that Moore dodged, but it gave Ed enough time to send his own attack. Crackling energy raced up along the street and Moore used the Stone to demolish the asphalt hand Ed had tried to squash him with. Moore was moving strangely, and now that Ed was closer to him, he could see Moore had never figured out the healing powers of the Stone. His left arm was in a filthy cast and Edward almost mistook the bandages that wrapped the man's shoulder as part of his brown jacket. His cheek was swollen, thanks to the busted bone underneath. Ed observed his stilted, limited movements and realised Ducky had been correct. Moore could barely bend his right arm at the elbow, and the left arm was good only as club.

Ziva fired another bullet before diving for cover as Moore sent a half dozen smaller boulders flying at her. Ed blocked them and sent a retaliating attack that Moore destroyed in a flash of red. The fight continued in this fashion for a few more minutes. Ed was desperately trying to get closer to Moore, wanting to engage the man in hand-to-hand so he could relieve him of the remaining Stones, but Moore wasn't making it easy.

Ziva was sticking as close as she could to Ed as he slowly inched his way closer so she could provide timely shots to give Ed the opportunity to get a bit closer. Ed was unwilling to let her get too far away from him, in case the female agent needed some cover. Ed clapped and created several more daggers from an overturned car. Despite the pull on his ribs, he seized the daggers and flung them at Moore, but they only managed to nick him. Ed thought he could hear cars pulling up behind him, but he was distracted by Moore trying to squash him between two slabs of stone that Edward destroyed using Scar's deconstruction technique.

Ziva fired another round and Moore growled at her, even as he intercepted the bullet with the Stone. Before Edward could react, he had transmuted a single, wicked looking spike, sending it straight at Ziva. The Israeli woman froze and Edward didn't bother thinking – he just _moved_. One moment he was three feet away from her, and the next moment he was directly in front of her, staring Moore down with a horrific pain lancing down his left arm. He heard someone who sounded suspiciously like Mustang scream his name as he felt sticky warmth gushing down his arm. He could hear Ziva behind him gasp his name, her voice filled with fear and horror, and saw Moore's triumphant grin. Then he looked down to see what the cause of this newest pain was. His golden eyes widened as he took in the sight.

The spike Moore had sent to kill Ziva had struck him, and was embedded through his left shoulder, protruding from his back, glistening morbidly with his blood.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

Edward watched in a detached way as alternating bursts of fire and blackness danced its way across his vision. His shoulder was now a roaring ache and the image that was burned into his mind was Moore's smug-ass grin. The fact that Moore was now dodging flames left, right, and center, unable to get even one attack in _almost_ made up for the spike that protruded out of his shoulder blade, but Ed was still _pissed._ He could see Ziva move to stand in front of him and her warm, brown eyes were filled with concern and guilt.

"Edward, you're going to be okay," she was assuring him and his mind chose that moment to snap back into clarity. He hadn't even realised how much the pain and shock had been causing him to block out as a wall of noise hit him. He could hear gunshots being fired, the snap of Mustang's fingers, the roar of his fire, and the cursing from Moore.

"I'm okay, Miss Ziva. Don't worry about me," he said, gritting his teeth. With the spike in his shoulder, he couldn't move his arm above the elbow, so he brought his left palm up and then brought his right hand over and pressed his hands together. With the transmutation active, he raised his right hand and destroyed the part of the spike that was protruding from the front of his shoulder, remembering how he'd destroyed the beam that had impaled him in Baschool. Then he brought his hand over his shoulder and wrapped it around the remaining part of the spike and yanked it out of his shoulder.

Ziva looked horrified, but he stepped in front of her as he watched Moore's frantic attempts to dodge Mustang and the agents' bullets. He waited for the perfect opportunity before hoisting the spike in his automail hand, like a bloodied javelin, and launching it across the street where it immediately hit its target: the wound Ed's dagger had made in Moore's shoulder during their first fight at the NCIS parking lot. The noise Moore made was completely inhuman as he dropped to the ground. The bullets and fire stopped and Ed could see everyone looking at him. "Mustang, grab a set of handcuffs," he ordered irritably as he stomped over to where Moore had fallen.

"Nice to see something as minor as a stone spike going through your shoulder didn't stop you," Mustang commented dryly as he stood next to his subordinate.

"Like it'd be that simple to get rid of me," Ed rolled his eyes before stopping Mustang's approach. "Just hold on a minute," he said. Painfully, he clapped his hands and held his automail out in the direction of the unconscious man, his gold eyes glowing electric blue. It lasted only seconds before Ed dropped the array.

"What was that about?" Mustang asked and Ed scowled at him.

"I located where he's keeping the other Stones. Unless _you_ want to fall for the same stunt again and take the chance that he's only playing possum?" Ed snarked. "He's not a _complete_ moron, although he _is_ a moron. He's got one in his left shoe, one tucked into the smallest pocket on the right-hand side of his jeans, and three hidden in a small pouch sewn into a jacket on his left-hand side."

Mustang briskly searched the man, finding all five Stones. He handed them over to Edward, who immediately pocketed them, along with the Stone he'd originally taken from Moore. Mustang had just slapped the cuffs he'd borrowed from Hotch on the man's wrists when Moore regained consciousness. Moore immediately began ranting as Mustang hauled him to his feet.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU THREW A SPIKE THROUGH MY SHOULDER! HOW COULD YOU?! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET OUT OF THESE CUFFS! I'M GONNA –"

His rant was cut off with a shrill scream as Edward ripped the makeshift javelin out of his shoulder.

"If you don't shut your mouth, I'm gonna ram this down your throat. I've got enough of a headache as it is," the teen said, waving the spike threateningly. Moore's face began turning bright purple from the repressed rage, but he was quiet for the moment. "Thank fucking Truth," Ed sighed, before wincing as he jarred his wounded left shoulder. He glared at the wound for a moment before he sighed again and pulling a Stone out of his pocket. "Sorry," he murmured, not sure if he was talking to the souls in the Stone, or Mustang.

He locked eyes with his commander, who was watching him impassively, save for a hint of worry in the depth of the onyx eyes. After another moment, he placed the Stone to his shoulder and concentrated, letting the red sparks fly. He grimaced slightly and pulled the Stone away before tucking it back into his pocket.

"It's still bleeding," Mustang said, his eyes a little wide, but otherwise maintaining his impassive demeanor. Moore's eyes had blown comically wide and his jaw was practically on the ground.

"I didn't heal it all the way," Ed said. "I just healed the shoulder blade and collarbone from where the spike shattered them. I'm not particularly interested in a long, painful surgery or having my arm immobilized, thank you very much. The flesh part of the wound will just need stitches." He shrugged his right arm before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I didn't want to heal any more than absolutely necessary. I wouldn't waste a soul on that."

"YOU CAN USE A STONE TO HEAL?!" Moore screeched.

Ed raised the bloody spike. "What did I say about keeping your mouth shut?" Moore shut it with an audible _click_ of his jaw. "That's what I thought," Ed muttered. Ziva still looked a little shell-shocked, but then again, it wasn't every day she watched someone pull a stone spike out of their own shoulder and hurl it at their enemy. Ed glanced around where Moore had fallen and spotted the little red stone that Moore had dropped when Ed had hit him and scooped it up, pocketing it with the other six.

That seemed to be an unspoken signal for the combined NCIS and BAU teams to run over and begin barraging him and Ziva with questions.

"Ed, are you alright?" Reid asked, his fingers already pulling at his top to expose the wound. "JJ, call an ambulance."

" _Don't_ call an ambulance," Edward interjected immediately. "I'm fine. I'm completely pissed off, but I'm fine. I need some stitches, some painkillers, and some sleep. Then I'll be back to normal." He brushed Reid's fingers away from his throbbing shoulder. He looked at Ziva, hoping that he'd successfully prevented her from being hurt. "Are you alright, Miss Ziva?"

"Me? I'm fine. Barely a scratch." She looked bewildered that he had even asked her when he was standing there with a bleeding hole in his shoulder.

"Good," Ed nodded. "Can we go? I don't want to look at his face any longer than I have to." He jabbed an automail finger over his shoulder at the cuffed Moore.

"Moore? Or Mustang?" Morgan clearly couldn't resist the opening that Edward had given him, and Edward grinned at the agent.

"Well, both, now that you mention it." He smirked. "But, unfortunately, I'm stuck looking at Mustang until we get home." He heaved a massive, overly dramatic sigh of hardship that had most of the group grinning. Moore still looked like he was going to explode. Mustang just rolled his eyes at the insult.

"I'm seconding Fullmetal, for the most part," the older officer replied. "Can we go somewhere where we'll be able to hold him for the next forty hours or so?" Mustang asked and Gibbs nodded.

"He's powerless now, right?"

Ed nodded. "Yup. Unless he manages to get his hands on the Stones again, which I don't intend to allow."

"He can stay in one of our secure interview rooms. It won't be as comfortable as a jail cell, but it's secure and he won't have to be logged into the system," Gibbs told them. Both Edward and Mustang were happy to hear that. Moore was not.

"Don't look so pissed off," Edward rolled his eyes at their prisoner. "This is better than you deserve, considering what you pulled to cause all of this."

Moore snarled. "I deserve _nothing_ like this! I demand medical attention for my injuries, and my immediate release! I've done nothing wrong except seek justice for my brother's murder!" His voice got progressively louder, ending in a screech.

"So…you're definitely delusional," Edward said. "You'll get medical treatment after us but you are _so_ not getting released, you complete fucking nutbag. You tried to kill us!"

"You threw a spike through my shoulder!"

"Yeah, because you tried to _kill_ us," Edward reminded him and Hotch ended up pulling Edward away from the crazed thief and makeshift alchemist.

"Stop arguing with Moore," Hotch said as he led the blond alchemist away with a firm grip on the teen's automail bicep.

"But Hotch, sometimes you gotta argue with a crazy person," Edward whined and Hotch leveled an unimpressed stare into the golden eyes.

"No. And put that spike down," Hotch ordered, looking at the bloody spike still gripped in Ed's automail hand.

"Rude," Edward complained, but complied, dropping the spike as they headed for the cars.

Moore was forced into one of the FBI's SUV's. Literally _forced_ by Mustang and Moore as the man decided he did _not_ want to go in. Hotch and Gibbs both suggested to Edward that he should ride in a separate car, something Ed was completely fine with. He'd been exposed to enough crazy already. He joined Ziva, McGee and Gibbs in the sedan, while DiNozzo joined Morgan, Hotch, and Prentiss in the car with Moore. Everyone else rode in the second SUV. They stayed long enough for two ambulances to be called and arrive for Champion and Holt, along with the local police. The FBI managed to convince the police that it was likely a sinkhole or possible a gas explosion that had caused the damage to the street, especially since Mustang had gone around and transmuted all the spikes and stone hands into chunks of rubble so the police couldn't question how a sinkhole or gas explosion managed to create them.

Once Champion and Holt had been taken away, they piled into the cars and left the scene, determined to get Moore secured and Edward to Ducky for stitches for his shoulder wound.

* * *

Gibbs had Ziva debrief during the car ride back to NCIS headquarters, and she told him everything that had happened from when they'd walked out of the restaurant, up to when Edward had gotten injured protecting her. Ed got a little flustered when she thanked him for that, although he inserted some details here and there whenever he thought of something that she hadn't mentioned. As they slowed for a stop sign, there was a crash from behind them. They all spun around in their seats to see a car had rammed into the second SUV, shoving it into the first one. Hotch had just managed to apply the brakes quickly enough that their sedan wasn't hit, but it was a near thing.

The next thing they knew, people were swarming the three cars. Edward's door was yanked open and he was grabbed roughly by his left arm, causing his newest wound to erupt in a white-hot fire of pain as he was dragged out of the car. The man who had hold of him let go pretty quick after Edward shattered his kneecap with a well-placed kick from his left foot. A gun was being held on Gibbs, who hadn't been pulled out of the car, but Ed clapped quickly and made that problem disappear.

Ziva had taken down her attacker with ease, and both she and McGee took care of the one who had gone after the youngest NCIS agent. Ed turned to face the SUVs and was glad to see the BAU agents were wrapping up their own scuffles with their attackers. When the last person was down, Edward jogged over to see how everyone was.

They'd all come out of it with small cuts and bruises. The two SUVs were badly damaged, especially the second SUV, but no one was seriously hurt. Despite there being nearly as many attackers as there were agents and alchemists, the bad guys had come out of the situation worse. Ed counted at least four unconscious or badly hurt men on the ground, not including the two _he'd_ taken down, and not a single one was shot.

Mustang cursed softly, and Edward looked up. "What's wrong, Mustang?"

"Moore escaped," the flame alchemist said in disgust, holding up the handcuffs that he'd placed on Moore.

"Goddammit!" Edward yelled, turning and punching the front panel with his automail hand, leaving a fist-shaped dent in the side of the car.

Morgan was already on the phone to Garcia, who – after a minor freak out and numerous assurances from everyone – was hacking her way through every camera she could find to track Moore and his followers. One of her new programs was helping her track Moore, but she was cranky enough that he'd hurt her family and escaped that she could search through the footage just as quickly – or so Morgan relayed when he hung up the phone.

They were forced to call more ambulances and some local police to help them with their attackers, most of whom were still out cold. Ed didn't feel any guilt about using his automail or alchemy against them, especially after the first thing they did upon spotting him was yell at him, which only worsened his headache. He was tempted to alchemically seal their mouths shut, but Mustang held him back with a reminder that they wouldn't be able to explain _that_ to the local police. The police officers dealt with getting tow trucks out to remove the SUVs, dealt with the traffic and arrested those who weren't deemed injured enough for an ambulance or who had refused medical attention.

* * *

Once the tow trucks cleared out, two new SUVs were dropped off by the local FBI office. Gibbs greeted one agent, Fornell, like an old friend, even though the two of them seemed to bitch at each other. Rather like he and Mustang, now that Ed considered it. Edward had offered to use his tracking array to try to track Moore down, but that idea had been vetoed because of his injuries and obvious fatigue. Instead, they piled back into the cars, while the agents who had dropped off the two SUVs got lifts from the police back to their office.

"I can't believe Moore managed to escape. How did he even manage that?" Ziva complained.

Ed groaned. "You remember that bullshit Holt spewed about Moore having 'god-given talents'?" Ziva nodded, remembering. "He's probably convinced all of those people that he's some sort of god and that if they help him, he'll make them rich or whatever. Someone was probably watching our fight and alerted the others when we arrested Moore, and they all rescued him so they'd be rewarded." Edward slumped in his seat, his shoulder wound throbbing even more than it had before. "So now we've got a whole group of dickheads to deal with, as well as Moore. At least we might have one thing going for us." Ed smirked a little. "I've still got all his Stones."

"How is that anything other than a definite thing?" McGee asked.

"Well, if Moore was smart about it – and I'm not saying that he is – he would've hidden a Stone or two in a separate place, rather than keeping all of them on his person. Harding did the same thing, so it stands to reason that Moore would as well. If he does, he also now knows that you can heal with a Stone. The thing is, a Philosopher's Stone is incredibly difficult to make. The array isn't the sort of thing your average alchemist could just draw out and perform, even if they had the required number of sacrifices to make it work. I'm more interested in where Harding and Moore found so many Stones."

The agents all gave him a puzzled look and Edward resolved to simplify it further. "This cult following he's got might work more in our favour on this. If Moore has really convinced them he's god, he wouldn't want to leave Stones lying around in case someone finds them and uses them. Granted, the chances of someone from this dimension being able to transmute, Stone or no Stone, is practically impossible. Still, if he's paranoid enough, hopefully that means I now have all of the Stones."

"That would mean he'd come after you," Gibbs pointed out and Ed shrugged far too nonchalantly for the agent to believe it was an act.

"Let him. Next time he comes at me, I'm knocking the fucker out," the teen growled, before catching glimpses of the faces the three other occupants of the car exchanged. "What? His voice was pissing me off," he said defensively and Ziva patted him on the arm soothingly.

* * *

They made it through the security checkpoint a short time later, and Edward was immediately escorted to see Ducky, along with Ziva, who complained a lot less than Ed did, to absolutely no one's surprise. He did insist that Ziva get looked at first and she was cleared by the doctor with only minor scrapes and bruises. Ducky's somewhat cheery demeanor disappeared entirely when he saw the state of Edward's shoulder.

"Edward! You should be in a hospital for this kind of injury! The flesh wound aside, your shoulder blade and collarbone will likely need surgery to fix and your arm will need to be completely immobilized," Ducky exclaimed.

Ed gave him a weary, pain-filled grin. "Yeah, I used a Stone to heal the bones. I just need a couple of stitches and some painkillers and I'll be fine," he assured the doctor before Ducky could call an ambulance.

"A _couple_ of stitches? Edward, you'll need at least a dozen and maybe some internal ones in the muscles," Ducky objected.

Ed shrugged with his good shoulder. "If you don't want to do it, Doc, that's fine. Just give me the supplies I need and I can do it myself. Well…I'll make Mustang stitch the back of my shoulder. Our patch up job will hold well enough until we get back to Amestris and I can make Havoc do them properly."

Ducky looked like he wanted to lecture the teen but sighed. "You shouldn't take such injuries so lightly, my boy," he said, waggling a finger in Ed's face before shaking his head. "I can only give you a local anesthetic," he warned, and Ed shrugged again.

"I've had worse injuries patched up without any pain relief at all. I'll be fine," he assured the doctor, and Ducky's expression clearly said that he wished he didn't believe what Edward had just said. He pushed the stool over to Edward, who plopped down and braced his good arm against the side of one of the autopsy slabs. He shrugged out of his hoodie and pulled his left arm painfully out of the sleeve of his t-shirt and exposed the wound for Ducky to see.

Ducky prepared the pain relief while Ziva watched, pretending not to be anxious. Ed didn't even flinch when the drugs were administered, and after a few minutes, while Ducky was getting the rest of his supplies ready, confirmed he couldn't feel anything. Ducky got to work.

"I'll admit to being morbidly curious," Ducky said after a few moments. Edward glanced up at him. "What were those injuries you mentioned?"

"Well, the main one would be my automail. The ports have to be installed while the recipient is still awake and no pain relief can be given. That's the only way to be certain they're installed correctly and the nerve connections work. I got mine done when I was eleven – both at the same time. It was a _very_ long, painful day." He shook his head. "Then, about seven or eight months ago – I'm not very clear on exactly what day it was, for reasons – I got into a fight with an insane former State Alchemist who had a Stone. Actually, he had two, but I didn't know that, so when I knocked the first one out of his hand and he pulled out the second one, I was screwed. He made a mine shaft collapse under me and two of his goons. When I regained consciousness, I had a huge metal beam going through my side. It's that big scar there, on my side."

Ducky paused in what he was doing and looked at where Edward had indicated, his eyes widening. "Edward, how did you survive this? A wound this large, in this position – you would have had major damage to your internal organs, and as soon as it was pulled out, you would have bled to death before any doctor could have stitched you up, even if you were in a fully equipped operating room!"

"Well, I used alchemy to destroy the part of the beam that was coming out of my back, and then I freed the two goons who'd fallen down the shaft with me. They'd gotten pinned under a ton of debris. I convinced them to pull the beam out of me, and then I used alchemy to seal up the wound, although I had to sacrifice some of my life span to do it. I managed to patch myself up enough that the goons were able to get me to a doctor who'd take me in off the books. That doctor had run out of pain meds so I had to get the wound fixed without them. I was laid up for almost two months before I was able to travel again."

" _How_ are you still alive?" Ziva asked, wide-eyed.

"Fuck knows. Probably just a shit ton of dumb luck," he told her, just as the doors slid open to permit Mustang, Gibbs, and Hotch.

"What's all this about dumb luck?" Mustang asked as he walked over to stand next to Ducky and check his subordinate's injury for himself.

"My still being alive," Ed commented dryly and Mustang made a sound of understanding. Ed looked at Gibbs and Hotch. "So, what's the plan? I doubt that the two of you came to watch me get stitched up." He glanced up at Mustang. "Mustang on the other hand – he gets some sort of sick amusement out of watching me squirm."

Mustang rolled his eyes as Ducky finished stitching up the entrance wound and moved around to stitch up the exit wound. "You're not squirming now, which kind of negates your theory."

Edward gave him a Look. "I was given a local. I'm good." He looked away from Mustang and at the agents again. "So? Plan?" The agents shared a look.

"We're waiting for Garcia's programs – and her rather impressive rage-induced searching – to find where Moore is hiding now, or at least where he was last seen on a camera before we head out to confront him again. Once we get there, we're hoping that you'll be able to use that tracking array of yours and give us an idea of how many people are in the building. If you can tell if Moore is definitely there. Assuming Moore is in the building, our teams will split up and do a quiet entrance. We'll arrest anyone we come across and take down Moore. You," Hotch pointed at Ed, "will be staying outside so that Moore can't get hold of those Stones again."

Ed didn't look impressed and opened his mouth to protest, but Mustang cuffed him lightly before he could say anything.

"You told us that you and Brigadier General Mustang were the only ones who could take Moore down _while_ he was using the Stones. He doesn't have them anymore and we won't risk you getting injured any further," Gibbs' no-nonsense tone left no room for argument. That didn't mean Ed didn't try.

"Except we don't know I have all the Stones he brought with him. I _think_ I do. I think he was too paranoid to hide any and he was too confident he could take us down to think he'd need to, but I could be wrong. It's rare, but it does happen," Ed argued.

"Fullmetal is right," Mustang said reluctantly. "We don't know for certain he doesn't have an extra Stone hidden away."

"He also said that you are one of the alchemists capable of fighting someone with a Stone," Gibbs pointed out. "Since you'll be with us, Edward can wait outside and not risk getting injured further."

"That's true, but my flame alchemy, especially against a Stone, can be rather destructive," Mustang admitted. "I would probably have to resort to lethal force just to get the Stone away from him, and I'd rather not do that if I don't have to." His face had slipped back into the impassive professional mask he used at work, but as Ed glanced up at him, he could see the hidden anguish in his eyes and suspected he was thinking about all the Ishvalans he had killed during the war and the way he had killed Lust and Envy. "How about we compromise?"

The two agents looked interested and Mustang glanced down at Edward, any anguish at the idea of using his flame alchemy fatally hidden. "How close do you have to be to sense a Stone with your array?"

Ed contemplated it for a moment. "If the wielder is literally using it to attack when my array is active, I can sense it at whatever distance my array covers. But if it's not in use, I have to be within a meter or so of the person to find the Stones, _and_ I have to be looking for them."

Ziva seemed confused. "How come a Stone has to be in use for you to be able to sense it over a long distance?" she asked and Ed looked pleased at the question.

"My tracking array tracks active alchemic energy. Every alchemist has energy stored in them and it is constantly active. The Stones, however, are simply tools. While they do contain alchemic energy, that energy is inactive unless the wielder is using it. If I'm close and actively looking for the Stones, I'll see them."

Mustang cleared his throat and Edward and Ziva both looked at him; Ziva seemed apologetic for interrupting, Edward just seemed annoyed. "So you'd have to be up close to Moore if he isn't using the Stone to know if he has one?" Ed nodded. "So why not use Fullmetal as bait, and trick Moore?"

Edward looked very interested in this plan. Hotch, Gibbs, Ziva, and Ducky weren't looking as keen. "What do you have in mind, Mustang?" Ed asked. Ducky finished the last stitch and began covering them with a gauze pad and some tape so that his clothes wouldn't catch on the stitches.

"Moore knows that you have the Stones. Although he wants to kill both of us, you'll be the target he's more interested in because of that fact – he'll want those Stones back because he has to know that without them he doesn't have any chance to succeed in his goal." Edward was nodding in agreement. "I was thinking that we could, like the agents said, have you scan the building to see if Moore is in there. If he is, we send you in by yourself. You can handle anyone who comes at you easily, so we don't have to worry about that. Moore will have likely surrounded himself with the strongest fighters in his little cult anyway. I imagine that he will have ordered them to pin you down and grab the Stones so he can take care of you himself. We come in while his goons are holding you down and he's vulnerable and exposed. If he has a Stone, he'll use it to try and stop us. If he does, I'll engage him while you get yourself loose and then can assist me. If he doesn't, he'll be easy to take down."

Ed liked most of the plan, but he did see one small flaw. Before he could say anything, Gibbs spoke up.

"What if Moore gets those Stones from Edward before we get up there?" Gibbs asked and Ed came up with a solution.

"I might have an idea, but I'll need to work on it. I think Miss Abby might be the best person to assist me, since Al's not here," Ed said and Gibbs and Hotch exchanged a look.

"If your idea works, we'll discuss going with General Mustang's plan, but only if the two of you agree to stand back if Moore _doesn't_ have a Stone and let us handle it," Hotch said. Ed opened his mouth but Hotch held up a hand. "I know you are more than capable of looking after yourself, but you're already injured enough that I shouldn't even be letting you leave this building. I don't want you getting hurt any more than you already are, because – believe it or not, Ed – we do care about you. Also, if Garcia found out you were hurt worse because we let you fight unnecessarily, she'll destroy us through our technology."

Ed sorted with laughter. "So you want me to stay out of the fight so you don't risk Miss Penelope's wrath?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his eyes and Hotch nodded.

"That woman isn't called an evil genius for no reason," he told the blond, who laughed harder as he pulled his blood-stained shirt and hoodie back on.

"I'll tell her you said that," Ed told him and Hotch shrugged.

"She'd take it as a compliment."

"I know." He stood up from the stool, turning to Ducky. "Thanks for patching me up, Doc. Is Miss Abby in her lab?" Ed asked Gibbs, who nodded before giving Ziva a look.

"Come on, Ed. I'll take you up there," she offered and Ed followed her into the elevator.

"Do you know what he's planning?" Gibbs asked Mustang.

"I'd like to say I have an idea, but in all honesty, I don't. Fullmetal has this way of making you think you've got him figured out before doing something you'd never expect. His brother is probably the only one who could predict his thoughts and movements with any sort of confidence."

"So you don't know if it's going to work?"

Mustang shook his head. "I would be very, very surprised if whatever idea Fullmetal has come up with isn't successful. Shall we head back upstairs to see how Miss Garcia's search is coming?" They said their goodbyes to Ducky before doing just that.

* * *

Edward and Abby came up from her lab a few hours later, massive grins on both their faces. Ziva had rejoined the other agents and Mustang in the bullpen after leaving Ed with the forensic scientist. Mustang and Gibbs looked at each other, the same thought crossing their minds: those smiles meant something really, really good had happened…or they'd set something on fire.

"What did you do?" DiNozzo asked, almost suspiciously. Apparently, Mustang and Gibbs weren't the only ones who'd had the same thought.

"I don't appreciate the accusing tone of your voice," Abby sniffed at him, and DiNozzo spread his hands in a 'can you blame me?' gesture. Ed shook his head at the two of them before stopping in front of Mustang and holding his closed fist out. Mustang looked bemused but held out a palm to take whatever Ed was trying to give him. Half a dozen small, glittering red stones fell onto his palm.

"You're giving me the Philosopher's Stones?" he asked as he picked one of them up and looked at it.

"Try and use it," Ed urged, taking a couple of steps back. His action made everyone else shuffle back a little.

"Why?" Mustang asked, suspiciously. He knew Fullmetal, and he knew the teen _always_ had an ulterior motive. He'd been the victim of too many insults and pranks to believe that Edward was being completely innocent.

"I think I made some modifications to the Stones, so that even if Moore gets them away from me, he won't be able to use them," Edward said guilelessly. Mustang watched him and he shrugged. "What? I studied Marcoh's notes on the Stone extensively – that's how I was able to decrypt them. After the Promised Day, he showed me the array he devised to destroy them."

"Okay…" Mustang said, preparing to snap his fingers, since he hadn't removed his ignition gloves yet. Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What?" Mustang snapped.

"We're indoors, it's a Stone, and you're going to use your flame alchemy. What if I'm wrong about my theory?" he asked, raising an unimpressed golden eyebrow. Mustang sighed but conceded the point and lowered his hand. He looked around the office for inspiration before landing on a piece of paper on DiNozzo's desk. He held the Stone over it and thought about the array he wanted to use.

The red stone flashed before Mustang yelped and dropped it, shooting a very angry glare at Edward, who was grinning and exchanging a fist-bump with Abby. "It worked!" he exclaimed, while Mustang rubbed his smarting hand, which felt as though he'd been electrocuted.

"What worked?" Mustang growled and Ed rolled his eyes at his commander's show of temper before he picked up the dropped Stone and gestured for Mustang to give him the rest. Mustang did but tapped his foot impatiently for an answer. The others looked very curious.

"I wanted to make false stones," Edward said, holding the stones in his palm for everyone to see. "Here, look. These are the ones I took from Moore." He reached carefully into his pocket, mindful of his wounded arm, and pulled the Stones out of his pocket, displaying both sets side by side on his gloved palms.

"They look identical," Reid commented.

Ed looked pleased by that comment. "They're supposed to," he said, holding out his hands so Reid could pick up one of each and compare them. "As Mustang so elegantly demonstrated," he ignored the scowl coming from his commander, "you can use them, but they shock you. Not enough to hurt – it's more like a static electric shock," he added as Reid handed the Stones back.

"So why did you have me use one?" Mustang asked sourly.

"Honestly? Thought your reaction would be worth it. I was right." A few of the agents laughed. "Also, I needed someone who wasn't me to test them just in case they didn't work the way I intended. You are the only other alchemist here."

Hotch could see the fight coming a mile away, so he decided to stop it in its tracks. "How did you make them?"

"Miss Abby helped a lot," he said, shooting the scientist a grin as she flushed a little at the comment. "I won't get into the scientific side of it since really only a couple of you would be able to appreciate it, but she took a look at one of Moore's under her microscope and managed to get a scraping of one that we put through the mass-spec so we could get an idea of what they were made of. Then we gathered the ingredients so I could try to make one that would look as close to the real ones as I could get them without – ya know – the hundreds of human sacrifices."

"So why does it zap someone when they use it, if it's a fake?" Morgan asked.

"Actually, Abby made an off-hand comment that gave me the idea," he told them. "While we were trying to figure out what ingredients we needed she said this reminded her of when she used to play pranks on her little brother Luca. One of her favourites was to attach a device to something that would emit a small electric charge when he picked up something she'd attached it to. It got me thinking. These fake stones were only going to _look_ realistic, but I could tell which ones were Moore's because I can feel the alchemic energy lying dormant in them. What I don't know is if I can do that because I'm me and I've been through Truth's Gate, or if any competent alchemist could sense it. I decided better safe than sorry."

He looked over at Mustang. "What I said about Marcoh's notes was true, by the way. While I manipulated the ingredients, I used my knowledge of the Stone from his notes and figured out a way to store a tiny amount of my own alchemic energy inside the fake stones. Then I added a tiny array that would be triggered by anyone trying to use the stone, and they'd get zapped. That way, they looked like Moore's and he'd be able to sense the energy inside, if he could."

"So you created a fake stone that also acts as a storage device for alchemic energy, which will zap anyone who uses it?" Prentiss summarized and Edward nodded.

"Yup. If someone other than me uses it, they'll get zapped. I know how to dismantle the array, after all," Ed told her.

"You managed to create something to store your alchemic energy in?" Mustang asked, a little disbelievingly.

"Yes, obviously," Edward said with a long-suffering sigh. "It took a few tries and some minor explosions, but I've got the technique figured out now."

"Minor explosions?" Gibbs asked, looking directly at Abby.

"Yup. Nothing big enough to leave more than a scorch mark, and Edward fixed it up right away," she told him cheerfully, feigning ignorance at his less-than-pleased look.

"So why did you decide to create booby-trapped stones anyway?" JJ asked.

"Mustang came up with a half-way decent plan – for once – that only had one major flaw in it. We're using me as bait, but Agent Gibbs pointed out the flaw I'd also noticed. What if Moore manages to get the real Stones from me? So I came up with the idea of fake stones. I'll put them in the same pocket Moore saw me put his in, so if he does manage to take them off me, he'll think they're his."

JJ nodded. "What are you going to do with the real ones, then?"

Ed hesitated slightly, looking between Reid and JJ. "I was actually going to ask you or Doctor Reid to hold onto them for me." He saw more than a couple of shocked looks. "I have to take them back to Amestris. I can destroy them with Marcoh's array, but the array takes too much alchemic energy for me to risk it here. I can't leave them here or in one of the cars, because if something bad happens and I need to use one ASAP they wouldn't be available. The one person Moore would assume might have them, other than me, is Mustang. So I was going to ask whichever one of you is less likely to be involved in the takedown and is willing to hold onto them would be my first choice."

Judging by the looks on their faces, both JJ and Reid realised exactly how much he trusted them. They looked at each other for a long moment, seemingly having a silent conversation amongst themselves before Reid looked at Edward. "I'll take them, if you'd like me to."

Edward flashed him a bright grin before pulling out a small, velvet drawstring bag. He put seven Stones in the bag and tightened the strings before placing the bag on one of the desks. He clapped his hands and placed one hand on the bag. Blue energy crackled over the bag before he pulled his hand away. The bag didn't _look_ any different as he handed it to Reid, who gave it a curious look as he took it.

"I sealed it alchemically. No one will be able to open it without unsealing it with the right array," Edward explained.

Reid made a noise of understanding before tucking the bag in one of his pockets. Ed shoved the fake stones into the pocket where he'd been carrying the real ones.

"I gotta head back down to the lab. I have other cases I need to get back to," Abby said, a little mournfully.

"Thanks for all your help, Abby," Ed gave her a bright smile which she returned before waving goodbye to the room at large and heading back down to her lab.

"So, now all we have to do is wait for Garcia to find out where Moore might be hiding. I doubt it'll take too much longer," Hotch told them and he was right.

* * *

Fifteen minutes after Abby had gone back down to her lab, Garcia came up from the Cyber Unit desk she had taken over. "I know where he is!" she called as she jogged over, moving as quick as her heels would allow her to. She stopped at Ziva's desk and – with permission from the agent – used her computer to call up security camera footage. "I found this camera belonging to a self-storage unit complex. As you can see, it overlooks the front entrance and the other side of the street," she explained. She controlled the footage from the computer while the agents and the alchemists gathered around the plasma. It showed Moore being helped into a building across the street and to the left of the storage unit facility.

"Garcia, do you know what that building is?" Hotch asked and Garcia looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Bossman, you're talking to the goddess of all things information and digital. I already sent the blueprints and the ownership information to your tablets," she informed him. "From what I can tell, it used to be a factory before being bought and converted into office space for a company that went belly-up within a year. It's on the market and had been for the last two years. It's completely abandoned and there's no security. There have been a few police reports filed at that address in the last two years – mainly for squatters and gang activity." The BAU agents pulled out their tablets - while Reid shared with Prentiss – and each of them showed their closest tablet-less neighbour the building plans.

"Okay," Gibbs said, once they'd finished studying the plans. "When do we want to do this?" He looked at Edward and Mustang.

"How do you guys feel about a midnight raid? They'll have started to relax by then, and there'll be fewer civilians around," Mustang suggested, remembering what had worked so well when they went after Harding.

Gibbs nodded. "Alright. Let's head up to the conference room and plan this out properly. We'll leave here an hour before midnight." Everyone started moving. Garcia decided she would join them there once she'd retrieved her laptop, so she headed back to her temporary lair to grab it.

"Can we get some food while we do this? I missed lunch," Ed asked and Mustang rolled his eyes while everyone else laughed a little. Hotch agreed to order in some food – he figured it was the FBI's turn to foot the bill for Edward's nearly insatiable appetite.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Ed sat listening to all of the adults around him while he happily downed his third burger. They had tablets and papers strewn across the conference table while they discussed their plan of attack for later that night. Edward was only half-listening, really. The other half of his mind was thinking about much more interesting things while he ate. Things like punching Moore in his twice-injured shoulder. If anyone deserved _that_ it'd be that prick for having his goons attack their cars. He scowled as he took another bite of his burger.

He couldn't wait to get Moore back to Amestris. He didn't know what the civilian legal system would do to him – Moore couldn't be court-martialed, since he wasn't military, but he _had_ attacked and forcibly detainednot one, but _two_ State Alchemists. And not just any two State Alchemists, but two of the most well-known and highly respected State Alchemists – the People's Alchemist (even though Ed hated that nickname) and the Hero of Ishval (which Ed knew that Mustang hated to be called as much as he hated to be called the People's Alchemist). At the very least, Moore would be facing substantial jail time, Ed was sure.

He was questioning the intelligence of Americans as a whole. He had two very separate groups to collect data from, after all. On one side of the spectrum, he had the BAU and NCIS agents, who were very intelligent and although not used to alchemy or the concept of alternate dimensions, knew their jobs well and were highly adaptable and accepting once they were convinced. On the other end, he had the idiots who were following Moore, believing that he was a god just because he was using alchemy. In that sense, Moore wasn't all that different from Father Cornello, although he seemed to have fewer ambitions than Cornello had had. He was following this train of thought when he had an interesting idea. If these idiots were like Cornello…

Mustang happened to look over at him at that moment and saw Ed pause before taking the next bite of his burger. "Do you have something to add, Fullmetal?" He smirked when the teen shushed him before resuming his meal. The agents looked over at him, confused. "Give him a minute. Now, where were we?"

There was a noticeable moment of silence before the discussions resumed. Ed continued chasing that train of thought as he started picking at the leftover fries. "What if we go to the hospital and talk to Champion or Holt? We should probably confirm that that's where Moore is actually hiding out before we go in, guns blazing," he interjected suddenly as the train of thought he'd been following resolved itself. He'd accidentally interrupted DiNozzo, but the agent didn't protest. "I think Holt would be the best one to talk to actually."

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

Ed shrugged his good shoulder, pausing before he shoved more fries into his mouth. "He seems convinced Moore is some sort of god or has been given god-like powers at the very least, so he's probably the more likely to tell the truth when we tell him Moore is nothing of the sort. I've dealt with the religious fanatic types before – once you shatter their delusions, you can usually bring them around to your side with evidence. Also, I'm hoping he wasn't in complete shock when I blew up his gun and he remembers I was the one who shielded him from the debris during my second fight with Moore."

"So you want to exploit any feelings of gratitude or whatnot the man might have towards you so you can find Moore?" McGee asked.

Edward gave him a bored look. "Well, yeah. Besides, it's equivalent exchange. I saved his life. If he tells me what I want to know, we're even." McGee could see where Edward was coming from, even if it did make him feel a bit unnerved. Of course, he was no stranger to what Edward was suggesting, but people normally didn't admit it quite as bluntly as Edward did. He had to admit that it was a refreshing change to have someone around who was honest – even brutally so.

"What are you gonna do if he doesn't remember you or believe you?" Morgan asked and Edward turned his golden eyes to the dark-skinned agent.

"If he doesn't remember, fine. I can't hold that against him. If he doesn't believe me? I'll prove it, and I'll convince him. I've done it before and I can do it again," he stated firmly, thinking of Rose. Of course, he'd had to break her down completely in order to get her to realise that her faith in Cornello had been misplaced, but according to what Al and Winry had told him, the girl was rebuilding her life now that she knew she had been duped. Morgan nodded, as if that was what he had expected.

"Does anyone have any problems with that idea?" Mustang asked, with just a touch of his command arrogance. "Then I suggest two of you accompany Fullmetal to whatever hospital Holt is at and get the answers we need so we can plan accordingly."

Edward rolled his eyes. "You _do_ realise that you're technically in charge of only _one_ person in this room, and I barely count since your orders are usually dumb, and my plans work a lot better?" At least two of the agents snorted to hide their laughter.

" _Your_ plans always somehow involve buildings collapsing, getting blown up, or various other types of massive property damage," Mustang retorted. "My orders would prevent those things, if you were to actually listen."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Ed heaved a long-suffering sigh, since this was an argument they'd had many times before. "Besides, do you realise how much more likely it is for people to just surrender to me now, instead of being dumb and resisting arrest? Now that my enjoyment of dropping buildings onto stupid people is well-known and highly exaggerated, that is?" He and Al had actually done the math while Al had been going through his physical therapy a couple of weeks ago, after Ed realised he wasn't fighting people as often as he had been before the Promised Day. He was kinda curious to know if Mustang had even noticed.

Hotch didn't give him the chance to find out. "Morgan, Reid. Take Ed with you to the hospital and talk to Holt. Call as soon as you get the answers we need." Ed snatched up a bag of fries before following the two men out of the room eagerly.

* * *

They headed for one of the replacement SUVs and climbed in, Ed still working on his fries. Morgan made a quick call to Garcia to get the hospital information, which had Ed leaning over the center console to say hello to her (even though he'd seen her five minutes ago) while Morgan tried to get her to focus on his question. Ed eventually rolled his eyes and asked Garcia himself, who promptly gave the answer before returning to their conversation and saying goodbye a couple of minutes later. Morgan mumbled something about favouritism, while Ed and Reid exchanged matching grins and started their own conversation about some of the books Reid was reading. Ed thought he heard Morgan sigh with relief when they finally pulled up at the hospital.

At the nurse's desk, Morgan started flirting with the rather pretty nurse. Ed rolled his eyes when he realised this and he pretended to gag behind Morgan's back, making the other agent and the nurse Morgan was talking to laugh. Ed did his best to look as innocent as possible when Morgan turned and glared at him, however the nurse did end up giving them Holt's room number and paged the doctor assigned to him so they could meet him there.

"Agents Morgan and Reid?" A younger doctor – perhaps thirty or so – in a white coat asked as they approached the room. Both agents nodded. The man held his hand out. "Doctor Mark Williams. I'm Mr. Holt's primary doctor." He looked at Edward, who was a couple of steps behind the agents.

"Edward," he said, waving at the man. The doctor seemed confused as to why there was a teenager with two federal agents but nodded politely.

"Mr. Holt has suffered major damage to his hands, as you can imagine. He has burns ranging from first to third degree, from his fingers up to his elbow. His hand bones were practically shattered and we had to amputate four of his fingers because of the severity of the damage. He's also suffered nerve damage and it's unlikely he'll ever have half the mobility he used to in his right hand. He's very lucky we didn't have to amputate the entire hand." the doctor told them.

Edward winced, a little guiltily. He hadn't wanted the man to suffer like that, he had just wanted him out of the fight.

"Can we speak to him?" Morgan asked, and the doctor sighed a little.

"You can have five minutes. He needs to rest and we need to keep his stress levels down as much as we can. He's also on heavy painkillers because of his hands, so he may not be very coherent or lucid." They nodded their thanks and headed into the room. Holt was propped up in bed, his right hand heavily bandaged, his left hand and both forearms more lightly bandaged. He also had a few bruises and minor cuts littering his face and neck that Ed assumed came from the debris when he blew up the street.

"What do you want?" Holt asked and Ed was slightly confused. He didn't sound angry or scared. He just sounded resigned, maybe a little wary.

"We'd like you to confirm where Moore is hiding out. If we show you pictures of the building he's been spotted heading into, would you confirm if he's likely to still be there?" Edward asked, surprising the two agents with his manners. Holt's gaze fastened on the teenager.

"You're the reason I've lost four of my fingers and will be unlikely to even lift a fork to eat off of again. Why would I help you?" Ed was once again surprised by the lack of venom in his voice, despite his words.

"I may have been the one who injured you, but you are the reason you got injured. I didn't force you to join Moore or hold a gun on me and Agent David. Unless Moore blackmailed or threatened you, your decision to join him was just that – _your_ decision. It was your fault that you put me in the position where I had to disable your weapon in the only way I could to protect myself and my friend. I'm the cause of your injuries, but I'm not the one to blame for them," Edward told him, stone-faced. Holt looked at him for a moment before bowing his head slightly.

"Moore didn't hold anything over my head. He didn't threaten me or my loved ones. He offered me gold and jewels, making them appear right before my eyes in a flash of red light. I turned them down when I saw his power. I asked him if God had given it to him, and he said yes. He told me God had chosen him specifically to do His work. I asked him what that work was, and he told me there were two people in this city who needed to die because of the horrible crimes they'd committed. He told me that you and another man had committed crimes so horrendous that he refused to describe them to me because he wanted me to still be able to sleep at night. He said that God had chosen him because you had murdered his brother for no reason." Holt looked up at Edward again. "I followed him blindly. I believed what he said, but then you were the one who shielded me and Joshua when the street collapsed. You were the one to move us out of harm's way before Moore found you. I watched that fight. I saw you use powers similar to his and I saw you take that hit meant for the woman with you. I've spent the time I've been awake asking myself why someone who was so horrible, someone who committed crimes so atrocious Moore said they would give me nightmares – why would someone like that protect an innocent woman or save two men who'd been trying to kill him?"

"And what did you realise?" Reid asked, unable to help himself. Holt's eyes moved to the young agent before finding Edward's golden ones again.

"Moore played me. He used my belief in God against me and I almost killed a child and a federal agent on nothing more than his word. I don't know how he got his powers, but they certainly weren't a gift from _my_ God." His eyes turned pleading. "I know I don't deserve it, but I beg you to forgive me. I was blinded by my own faith and I truly regret my actions. I am sorry for any hurt that I have caused you or the agent you were with."

Ed blinked stupidly at him for a moment. _This_ was not how he had expected this conversation to go. He'd expected that he'd have to actually break whatever delusional hold Moore had over Holt. "You tell us the truth about where Moore is hiding, and how many other people he's got doing his bidding and we'll call it even, okay?"

Holt blinked at him. "That's all you ask?" He didn't sound like he believed it.

"Well, yeah." Ed shrugged. "I mean, you said sorry and you admitted to your mistake and I did blow your gun up in your face. Sorry about that, by the way. I didn't mean for your injuries to be so severe. The gun powder in your bullets must be more potent than in the ones we have back home." Ed grimaced as his eyes fell to the man's bandaged hands. "So…yeah. Just tell us that info, and we're good."

Holt stared at him for a second before nodding in agreement. Morgan stepped forward with his tablet. "This is the building a camera spotted him going into about four hours ago. We know he's hurt, but is he likely to stay here, or do you think he'll leave to find medical treatment?" He showed the footage to Holt.

"Moore had someone who was a doctor working with him. He was one of the first recruits after Joshua and me. Moore will stay in that building until he's ready to go after you again." Holt looked at Edward. "He is dead-set on taking you and that other man out."

Ed sighed. "Yeah, well, I don't really blame him. He wasn't lying when he said we killed his brother," he admitted, glancing away from the group.

"Three months ago, Moore's brother, Harding, came to New York City and started killing random people for no reason other than that they bore a resemblance to people he'd felt had wronged him. Edward and his boss helped us find him and were intending to capture him and take him back with them, since he was a disgraced member of their military and they were familiar with him and his weapon of choice. Unfortunately, they were forced to use fatal force when Harding went crazy. The only person to blame for Harding's death was Harding himself," Reid explained, placing his hand on Edward's right arm. He didn't move it until Ed looked back up at him and nodded.

Holt was watching and listening carefully before he looked back at Morgan. "Before we kidnapped Edward and the female officer, Moore had twenty-seven people, including me and Joshua, who were willing to help him. I'm not sure if any more have joined his cause, for lack of a better word. I do know a couple of people were asked to go out and recruit for him."

"We took down and arrested six people when they attacked our cars to get Moore back," Reid observed. "That's eight less, including you and Champion, so we're looking at roughly twenty people in that building." He looked at Edward. "Do you think you'll be able to handle that many?" His brow was furrowed in concern.

"Assuming they aren't all sleeping in one area and they don't all rush me at the same time, then yeah, I'll be fine. I'm betting that some of them will give up rather than fight, so that should help," Edward replied easily, completely calm about the idea of going up against so many people.

"They aren't," Holt said, drawing attention back to himself. "Sleeping in one area. Moore's placed them in groups of three to five people on each level. One person from each group is supposed to run and warn the next group of any intruders. The remaining members of the group are supposed to hold the intruders back for as long as they can."

Edward frowned. "Let me guess. He has the strongest and most capable fighters near him, doesn't he?" Holt nodded, confirming their theory. "Cowardly bastard," he muttered to himself.

"Did you see Moore hide anything? Maybe something that looked like a small ruby?" he asked Holt and the man thought before shaking his head.

"No, I know what you're referring to, but I can't say I've seen him hide anything. He was always guarding his pockets, however," he offered.

Ed nodded. "I've already taken all the stones he had on himself. Well, at least we can be a little more certain I was right about his paranoia." It wasn't a complete confirmation. Holt wouldn't have been around Moore twenty-four-seven, so it was still slightly possible that he was wrong. "Do the two of you have any more questions?" he asked.

"No, I think we're good," Morgan said as Reid nodded. "Thank you for your co-operation, Mr. Holt." He nodded once to the man before leaving the room, Reid and Edward following him. Edward hesitated at the door and looked back at Holt.

"Thanks for helping us. I forgive you for your part in everything that happened," he said before he pulled the door closed and dashed after the others, not giving the bed-ridden man a chance to reply. They piled into their car and Reid called Hotch as soon as they'd left the hospital to tell him what they'd learned.

* * *

The drive back to NCIS was quiet. Ed spent most of his time staring out the window, watching the city flash by as they weaved in and out of traffic. Once Reid was off the phone, after assuring Hotch they were heading straight back, the car fell into an easy silence. Morgan put the radio on and Ed half-listened to the odd music, his mind racing the entire time. Before he knew it, they were heading through the security check point at NCIS. A few minutes later they were walking into the conference room. Everyone except Garcia seemed to be there and Edward assumed she must have gone back down to the Cyber Unit.

"There goes our peace and quiet," was the first thing Edward heard as soon as he stepped into the room. Naturally, it was Mustang who'd said it.

"Bastard, I _will_ stab you," Ed said, flipping him off as he flopped back into his chair.

"Like you could reach high enough for it to matter," Mustang shot back, and to his surprise, Ed just rolled his eyes at the short joke.

"Even if that were true, I could stab you in the femoral artery. Or the kneecap," Ed pointed out, his hands hovering over each other in preparation to clap.

"Boys," JJ said, sounding like a mother reprimanding her children.

"Yes, Miss JJ?" Ed asked, feigning innocence. Mustang just rolled his eyes at his subordinate's innocent act.

"Threaten each other later," she told him, and he nodded, poking his tongue out at Mustang before he spotted a leftover bag of fries. He grabbed them, realised they were cold, before shrugging and eating them anyway. Prentiss and JJ looked mildly offended that he did.

"So what did you lot come up with while we were gone?" Ed asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Are you sure you want to go in alone? You don't even want Mustang as a back-up?" Hotch asked. Edward looked betrayed.

" _That's_ your idea of back-up? Why don't you just let me take a ten-year-old? They'll be in better fighting shape," Ed snarked.

"Hey!" Mustang sounded offended.

"At least you'd have someone who knows alchemy at your back," Rossi pointed out and Edward looked between the three senior agents, dawning realisation crossing his face.

"You're not going to give me a choice, are you?"

"Nope. When Reid told us how many you could potentially be fighting, we decided Mustang was going with you," Hotch told him and Edward sighed dramatically.

"Fine. But I'm agreeing under protest!" Ed told them, pointing a finger at them.

"Noted," Gibbs said, with a slight smirk. Ed saw the usual smirk on Mustang's face and turned back to the agents.

" _Extreme_ protest," he muttered, causing most of them to snicker. Even Hotch and Gibbs looked amused while Mustang was doing his best to look betrayed. "So when are we doing this?" he asked.

"We'll leave here in two hours. Once we get to the building, you can scan it and report where everyone is and we'll go from there," Gibbs replied.

"So what are we doing until then?" he asked, and Gibbs shrugged. Ed ate the last of the cold fries before hopping up and heading for the door. "I'm gonna go see Miss Penelope. Come and find me when you're ready to go," he called over his shoulder and slipped out before anyone could stop him.

"Is he always like this?" he heard Ziva ask Mustang.

"You've got no idea."

* * *

They came to collect him ten minutes before they were supposed to leave. Ed was in the middle of telling Garcia about the Liore mission and the way he'd dealt with Father Cornello. He was just at the part where he'd used the statue of the fake sun god to knock the priest down when Morgan, Ziva, and Rossi showed up.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? What about your arm? You shouldn't be doing this, Ed!" Garcia fussed as he went to stand up.

"I'll be alright, Miss Penelope. I swear. My arm is fine. Doctor Mallard did a good job on it and it won't be the first time I've fought someone with a barely-functioning arm." He panicked a little when that seemed to make her sadder.

"We'll look after him, baby girl," Morgan promised her and she spun to face him, a threatening look on her face.

"You had better! I want both of my favourite men back here in one piece! All of you better get home safely or I'm gonna be so mad!" She gave everyone, even Ziva, a glare and Morgan gave her a sappy smile and a hug that seemed to make her melt a little bit.

"We'll get home to you. Don't you worry so much, sweet cheeks." He hugged her again and she relaxed further.

"Good," she sniffed before giving Edward a careful hug, wary of his injuries. "You stay safe. We want to get you home to your brother in one piece," she reminded him and he gave her a smile.

"See you soon, Miss Penelope!" he called back as he followed the agents out of the room.

* * *

Half an hour later, they were standing across the street from the building, near the storage units, and looking over at their goal. The cars were parked down the block and around the corner, just to be safe. Every member of the NCIS and BAU teams, save Garcia, were here. Morgan and DiNozzo had scouted the sides of the building and reported seeing no one standing guard at any of the doors.

Now it was Ed's turn. He stood in front of the building, something that had caused a small tiff between him and the agents, but he'd gotten his way and clapped his hands. He activated his tracking array, spread his hands out in front of himself, and opened his eyes so he could scan the building. Once he'd scanned all four levels, he stopped the array. He felt the expected tiredness, but he shook it off, activating his absorbing array as he headed back to the group.

"I counted eighteen people inside. Moore is definitely there. He's on the fourth floor with three other people in the same room. His alchemic energy is weak, but it was strong enough for me to sense. The third floor has two separate groups of three people. The second floor has a group of four, and the ground floor has four people but they're split into pairs and are close to the doors. I couldn't sense any Stones, but that doesn't mean much. Like I already told you, I have to be close to sense them when they aren't in use."

"What's your plan?" Gibbs asked, nodding at the two alchemists.

"Well, assuming Mustang's not too old to do so, I thought we might actually sneak in through one of the windows. They didn't look locked," Edward replied and ignored Mustang's muttered invective at the jab. "If we can do that and sneak past the four on the first floor, we'd be able to take the second floor by surprise and might even be able to stop one of them from alerting the third floor."

"That means you guys will have to take down the four on the first floor," Mustang pointed out and Hotch gave him a dry look.

"I think we can handle it."

Ed snorted with laughter. Mustang jabbed Ed with an elbow, and Edward smacked him on the bicep. "You remember how to signal us?" The two alchemists nodded. "Good. Whenever you're ready," Hotch told them.

* * *

The two alchemists moved silently across the road. Ed had forgone his red hoodie to remain as inconspicuous as possible and Mustang had even worn a dark blue dress shirt JJ and Garcia had purchased for him so he wouldn't stand out. They headed to the right side of the building and tested each window before finding one that opened for them.

Climbing in was a painful experience for Ed. He'd been ignoring the pain in his arm for the most part, but the injury made itself well known again when he pulled himself up and through the window. Only years of training with Izumi and practice at suppressing pain stopped him from gasping and helped him control his breathing. Mustang hauled himself through the window a moment later and shot Ed a concerned look. Ed waved it off and they headed for the door.

Peeking through the crack they made, they couldn't see anyone and carefully made their way out of the room. The first floor was obviously intended to be a space for storage rooms and a front lobby where assistants could greet anyone who walked through the front door. They hid behind the high marble desk the secretaries would've used and took another look. The first pair was sitting so their backs were to the alchemists and they were diligently watching the front door without being directly in the line of fire for anyone charging the doors.

A look behind them was blocked by a decorative wall that probably had once had the company's name and logo on it. They rounded it and spotted the second pair mimicking the first one – backs to them, facing the side door designated for employees. Mustang and Edward headed straight for the staircase, neither of them making so much as a whisper of noise in their wake.

The trek up the stairs was slow and quiet. They had to be careful not to make any noise at all so they didn't spook the person who was supposed to alert the next group to their presence. Mustang reached the top of the stairs first and carefully peered around the corner. This room was a series of bullpens, filled with cubicles and a few glass-walled offices along the outer walls. Mustang looked back at Edward.

"Where are they?" he asked in the quietest whisper he could manage.

"In the middle, but in a circle with their backs to each other," Edward whispered back.

Mustang nodded, before thinking. "Could one of us sneak past them to block the stairs to the third floor?" he breathed.

Edward thought about the blueprints they'd studied and the position of the men when he'd scanned the building with his array. "Possibly. There's a storage room just to the left here that links to the break room. If you're careful, you might be able to slip into the storage room and out of the kitchen without them seeing," he told his superior officer.

Mustang nodded and gave the military signal that indicated two minutes. He stayed in a low crouch and disappeared around the corner. Ed waited, counting out two minutes in his head. Once the two minutes were up, he peeked around the corner and looked in the direction of the second staircase. He saw a flash of white, Mustang's gloves, and moved quickly. Mustang did the same thing. They both reached the group of four noiselessly and none of them noticed the alchemists until they were right on top of the group.

Edward pinched a nerve on the first woman's neck and she was out cold instantly. Mustang had a little more trouble with the lanky teenager he had grabbed first, but he soon had him in a chokehold and, after a couple of moments, he was also out cold. One of the two remaining guards tried to make a break for the stairs, but Mustang was just able to grab his shirt by the collar, yanking him back and keeping him from yelling for help while Ed fought the fourth guard. The man swung a wild punch that connected with the stab wound on Ed's shoulder and his vision went white with pain, but he managed to connect his automail fist with the man's temple in a controlled punch. By the time his vision cleared, Mustang had the fourth man down and gagged with his own shirt, but still conscious.

Ed pretended not to see the concerned look Mustang shot him, instead he removed the jacket of the man he'd just fought and – quietly pressing his hands together to activate an array – turned it into strips of fabric they could use as ropes to bind and gag their four would-be attackers up so they couldn't make trouble if they woke up before this was over.

The walk up to the third floor was accomplished just as quietly and slowly as the trip to the second floor. Mustang started to use the same plan, once he realised this floor was set up like the one below, but Edward grabbed his elbow and shook his head, pulling him back behind the wall.

"No good. Different positions and two groups to deal with. They'd spot you," he hissed.

Mustang let out a silent sigh. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Ed considered their options. His eyes lit up when he spotted an air vent on the wall above where he and Mustang were crouched. He leaned around Mustang and studied the ceiling, grinning when he saw what he had been hoping to see. "We use the vents," he murmured. "I'll sneak through them and drop down in front of the second group. You can take out the closer group."

Mustang raised a skeptical brow. "You're going to be okay with that arm? And your automail?" he hissed back.

Ed scowled. "Of course I am. I wouldn't have suggested it if I couldn't do it." He would've snarled angrily if it wouldn't have given away their position. Mustang raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Ed glared at him but stood under the vent. "Give me a leg up," he whisper-ordered. Mustang gave him a Look but did as he was told.

Ed removed the vent cover carefully and handed it down to Mustang, who placed it under his arm before lifting Ed the rest of the way so he could crawl into the vent. He barely stopped himself from sighing once Ed's weight was off his arms and shoulders. He hadn't realised the kid's automail would make him so heavy.

He placed the vent cover carefully against the wall and decided to give Edward five minutes. He strained his hearing, but he couldn't make out a single sound, something Mustang had to marvel at. After five minutes, he peeked around the corner and looked at the vent he assumed Edward would be popping out of. He saw the cover lift and readied himself. When Edward dropped down from the vent, he moved and intercepted the group closest to him.

Ed had his work cut out for him. Not only did he have to fight three people, but he also had to stop them from making it up to the fourth floor and warning Moore. These three were more capable at fighting with the last group, which didn't help matters. One tried to leave, but Ed mimicked what Mustang had done with the last group and grabbed him by the back of the shirt, throwing him into the woman who was trying to hit him. They went down and Ed blocked a punch from the second woman. Unfortunately for her, she'd thrown all her strength behind that hit and it landed on his automail. He winced as he heard the cracks of her fingers breaking and she stumbled back, her mouth open to howl. Edward grabbed her, pinching her neck and sending her into unconsciousness before she could alert the fourth floor with her yell.

The other two had gotten to their feet and Ed was now fighting two on one. Ed was forced backwards and a few lucky blows landed on his ribs, but they weren't hard enough to do much more than bruise. He landed blows of his own and he had to give these two credit: neither of them backed down from the fight. He was forced up one of the stairs before, in frustration, he clapped his hands and placed them on either side of the staircase. His transmutation created hands from the wall and caught the two fighters, pinning them to the ground. He quickly transmuted thin strips of the floor to cover their mouths, preventing them from calling out, but not from breathing. They tried to struggle their way out but it was no use.

He looked up to see Mustang fighting one guy while the woman and a man in his trio were sitting on the ground, watching him. Typical. Of course Mustang would get the group where the majority decided to surrender. He quickly secured the woman he'd knocked out before making his way over to Mustang. He could see Mustang was trying not to resort to his flame alchemy and Ed did have to admit the man he was fighting was putting up a decent fight. But he was still salty about Moore escaping and wanted to get up there quickly so he waited before sticking out his right hand just in time for Mustang's opponent to run right into it, dazing himself. They quickly tied and gagged him before Ed looked pointedly at the other two.

"They decided they didn't want to fight," Mustang told him and Ed scowled before realising something.

"So…you're telling me that I took down three people by myself _and_ incapacitated the only one you were fighting so you could take him down?" Ed asked grinning and Mustang grimaced. "What are we doing with them?" he asked changing the subject to be nice and give Mustang a break…just this once. It was something more he could hold over his commander's head though.

"We'll still have to tie them up. We can't risk one of the agents thinking they got loose or them changing their mind and letting everyone go," Mustang whispered and Ed nodded before pulling the blazer off the woman he'd knocked out and turning it into strips of cloth again so they could bind the last two, both of whom accepted the binds gracefully when Ed explained why they needed to secure them. Once all six of them were secured, the two alchemists headed up the last flight of stairs. Mustang raised an impressed brow at the two who were still struggling to get out of the transmuted hands but didn't say anything.

Ed put his hand out to stop Mustang when they were nearly at the top. "Wait here in case one of them manages to get loose or one of the ones with Moore gets past me," he whispered, and Mustang shook his head.

"You're not going in there by yourself," he hissed, but Ed just rolled his eyes.

"Moore's defenseless, and I've gone up against more people on my own before. I'll be fine. Stay here," he ordered again, before leaving so Mustang couldn't argue further. He approached the door before stopping and activating his tracking array. He scanned the inside of the room and noted the positions of the four occupants of the room before releasing the array. Clapping his hands again, he placed his hands in the center of the door and blasted it inward, straight into one of Moore's bodyguards, knocking the man backwards into the closest wall. He didn't get back up.

"Alright, dickhead. You're under arrest again. You two," he gestured to the two Americans who had taken a step forward and now paused at being addressed by the teen, "haven't done anything illegal. Yet. If you leave quietly, you won't get arrested." They looked at each other before charging Ed. "Dumbasses," he sighed before stepping through the door and meeting them partway.

They were _really_ good fighters, obviously well trained and Ed was mildly curious as to how Moore found them and convinced them to fight for him. For each hit he landed, they landed one on him. Ed wondered if there was going to be any part of his body that wasn't bruised after this. The burlier of the two men was the main one keeping him occupied, while the lankier one was obviously looking for an opening and Ed knew what he was after. The man wasn't exactly being subtle about which pocket he was looking at.

The lankier man suddenly made a move and Ed immediately dodged and knocked the man on the shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground with a pained grunt, but the heavy-set man had seized his opportunity.

Ed felt a meaty arm wrap around his throat in a chokehold, applying just enough pressure to make him struggle to breathe, but not enough to cut his oxygen off completely. The way he had his arm wrapped around Ed's throat made it so that Edward was forced up onto his toes so he could get the precious little oxygen he was allowed. The lanky man got up, rubbed his shoulder, and reached into the pocket containing the stones. Ed struggled and kicked the man in the gut, but he managed to pull them out and the grip around Ed's throat tightened significantly. He could see Moore's triumphant grin as the second man handed him the stones before wrapping an arm around his gut where Ed's automail had landed.

"Good try, Edward. For someone who is called a genius above all others, you were pretty stupid bringing these to me and thinking you could win against me. This just proves the justice of my revenge for the murder of my brother. But I do thank you for not making me come to you to get these back." Moore grinned at him and Ed growled. "Now, I think I'll kill you the same way you killed my brother, then I'll go after that damned flame alchemist, Mustang. Let's see how you enjoy being burnt alive," he added with a snarl, lip curling like a feral animal.

Ed put a bit more effort into his struggling as Moore chose one of the stones lying in his palm and held it up. It glistened in the light from the ceiling as he pointed it at Edward. He grinned dementedly and immediately yelped like a whipped dog when the false stone rebounded on him.

The grip of the man holding Edward loosened in surprise as Moore jumped back and shook his hand after dropping the stone. Ed clasped his hands together in front of him and swung them up and over his head, ignoring the pull of his shoulder wound. His fist slammed into the man's face, crushing his nose and causing blood to cascade down his face. He stumbled backwards, letting go of Ed to clutch at his face out of reflex. The lanky man took one look at the anger in Ed's eyes before taking off through the open door. Ed barely registered the sound of flesh hitting flesh and something heavy thumping to the ground as he stalked towards a now scared and confused Moore.

"Did you really think that I was stupid enough to walk into an obvious trap with the _one_ thing that would actually make you somewhat capable in a fight?" Ed spat and Moore's face went blank with realisation before it went red with rage.

"You made false stones?" he demanded, his face slowly turning from red to purple. Spittle was clinging to his lips. Ed swung his left hand, again ignoring the pain in his shoulder and socked him right in the jaw, sending Moore stumbling to the side and into a battered desk.

"Of course I did. I mean, seriously?! Why the fuck would I risk you getting your grubby hands on the stones?" he asked, almost coldly. He heard Mustang walk to the nearest window and open it to unleash a fireball to signal the agents waiting outside. Moore straightened up, pure hatred in his eyes and a knife now in his right hand. Ed barely had time to register that when Moore swung the knife at him, causing Ed to leap back, out of the way. Ed allowed himself one moment of surprise at the fact Moore's shoulder didn't seem to hinder him right now before throwing himself into the fight.

Ed very quickly realised he wasn't going to win this fight as easily as he should've been able to. Moore wasn't thinking about his actions. His anger and hate were fueling his movements, giving him the ability to ignore the pain of the wounds Edward had already inflicted on him, making it nearly impossible for Ed to get a read on what he was going to do. He was distantly aware of Mustang grabbing the man who'd had Ed by the throat and escorting him out of the room, but he knew that his boss wouldn't be able to help until Ed was out of the line of fire. Moore's movements were too erratic for Mustang to use his flame alchemy with any accuracy.

Right now, Ed's plan was to keep Moore occupied until the opportunity to take him down as quickly and safely as possible appeared. He was pretty successful considering Moore got angrier and angrier the more Ed dodged his increasingly desperate strikes and slashes. Ed got a few hits in to Moore's ribs and hips, but he was using his automail as his main defense against the blade and he couldn't put much weight behind blows with his left arm due to his shoulder wound. He doubted he did much more than bruise and piss off Moore.

He was slightly distracted by the sound of numerous footsteps heading their way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mustang leave to head them off when Moore suddenly managed to slam him back into the wall. His eyes widened while Moore's glinted with triumph and glee as he watched Moore raise the knife, aiming for his neck. Ed moved a bit too slow and felt searing pain as the knife cut through the top of his left shoulder and buried itself in the wall behind him.

Moore looked stunned that Ed had managed to dodge just enough for the blow to not be fatal. With his left arm in a shit-ton more pain than it had been, Ed buried his automail fist into Moore's gut, forcing the air out of his lungs and driving him back. Mustang was right there and a punch from the flame alchemist put Moore on his knees.

As far as fights went, it wasn't the most exciting or longest one Ed had been in (the fight with Pride outside Kanama, or even the second one with Scar in Central took those awards), but it was certainly one of the most annoying ones. He watched as Hotch and Gibbs forced Moore to the ground while Morgan slapped handcuffs on him. Mustang and JJ were by his side in no time and Reid was hovering next to them ready to inspect the freshly bleeding wound once Mustang had been assured Ed was alright. Ed put up with the fussing for all of ten seconds before slapping their hands away.

"I'm fine. I doubt it even needs stitches. Seriously, I'll ask Doctor Mallard to look at it. I swear to fucking Truth, Mustang, I'll –"

His threat was cut off by Moore's continuous growling becoming much louder and more coherent. Mustang saw Ed's eye twitch.

"Fullmetal, don't –"

Too late. Ed had slipped past the three of them and the two agents on either side of Moore as they started to lead Moore towards the stairs before he drove his automail elbow up and into the back of Moore's head. Moore didn't even get the chance to make a noise before he was out cold. Everyone stared at Ed.

"What? I didn't want to listen to him whining, and I already promised that the next time I saw him I was going to knock him out," Ed said defensively.

"Fullmetal, you know you can't hit people when they're already in custody," Mustang scolded him. Ed looked at the slumped form of Moore being supported solely by DiNozzo and Morgan before looking back at Mustang.

"Whoops," he said in the most unapologetic and shameless tone Mustang had ever heard. He was fairly certain he heard a few suspicious sounding coughs from the agents. Mustang let out a long-suffering sigh as the two alchemists followed the agents out of the building.

* * *

Ed sat sideways in the backseat of one of the FBI's SUV's, the door open and his feet dangling over the edge of the seat, and watched as local police crawled through the scene, arresting those who had put up a fight and talking to Hotch and Gibbs. Six of Moore's people weren't arrested, but were asked to provide statements, so they were loaded into the back of police cars as well. From what Ed could tell, the police officer in charge wasn't happy that NCIS and the FBI had decided to launch a joint raid without informing him first. Hotch and Gibbs were trying to smooth things over with him.

JJ and Reid led a paramedic over towards the SUV, talking to her quietly. She nodded, before approaching Edward cautiously. She didn't get a chance to say anything. A glare from Mustang caused Edward to let out a heavy sigh, but he nodded and allowed the woman to look at his latest injury. She hissed in sympathy when she spotted the deep gash and started to clean it. He barely flinched when he felt the antiseptic and she was chatting to him the whole time. She was forced to remove the gauze Ducky had placed over his handiwork and had a look at the earlier wound, with Ed's permission.

"You'll want to get these stitches done again and this new wound will need stitches as well. Do you want me to take you to the hospital in the ambulance or are you okay to see a doctor yourself?" she asked.

Ed decided he liked her. She didn't try and force him to go to a hospital, even though he could see she wanted too, and she didn't ask a lot of questions that weren't relevant. "I'm good. Thank you."

She shook her head and proceeded to wrap the wound tightly enough to staunch the bleeding, but not so tightly that circulation to his shoulder would be cut off. "This should hold it until you see a doctor. Do you have any other injuries?" Ed shook his head. She nodded and packed up her medical gear. "Go see a doctor soon and try to keep out of trouble." Mustang snorted and Ed glared at him. The paramedic glanced at the two of them curiously before she waved and headed for her next patient.

Ed and Mustang hung back from the others and watched them work. They couldn't help with the cleanup efforts, knowing it would only draw curious attention to them. They were supposedly foreign diplomats who preferred to stay anonymous. At least that's what the federal agents were telling everyone who tried to approach them to take a statement. The paramedic was the first person to successfully speak to them. When everything was finally under control (Moore secured in the back of the NCIS sedan, unconscious, but with McGee guarding him), they gathered by the SUV.

"Now what?" Morgan was the first one to speak and Ed sighed before slumping sideways against the seat, resting his weight against his automail shoulder.

"We still have over a day before Al and Teacher open the portal to bring us home. I need to see Doctor Mallard so Mustang doesn't blow a fuse, and we need to secure Moore somewhere so he can't escape between now and when we leave." He looked around at the group. "Other than that, what do you suggest?"

A few faces (JJ, Prentiss, and Ziva, primarily) lit up with ideas. "I think we'll find something to keep you entertained," Prentiss said with a grin that Ed couldn't help returning. "We'll discuss ideas once you've seen Doctor Mallard."

Ed nodded once. "Done deal."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

When they got back to NCIS, Edward watched as the others tried to figure out a way to get Moore's still unconscious form into the building without anyone noticing. Technically, Moore didn't exist in this dimension, and it was apparently frowned on to put an unconscious person into an interview room without medical personnel looking them over. DiNozzo was the one who came up with a solution.

"Why don't we go to the back entrance of the morgue and take him in that way?" he suggested.

Gibbs looked at him for a moment before pulling out his phone and having a quick conversation with Ducky. "Good thinking DiNozzo." Tony looked proud of himself as Gibbs looked at Hotch and Rossi. "We'll take Moore and Edward through the morgue. Ducky can have a look at Edward's shoulder, and he can also look at Moore before we take Moore up to interrogation. Ziva, go tell Vance what we're doing," he ordered and she nodded, heading for the front of the building.

"The rest of us will wait in the conference room for you and Edward," Hotch said and Gibbs nodded. Mustang didn't seem pleased that Ed would be out of his sight, but he hid it well enough. Ed just rolled his eyes at his commander, refusing to admit that he was touched by the concern and hopped in the passenger seat of the sedan, leaving McGee and DiNozzo to sit with Moore in between them while Gibbs drove and parked next to the ME van. Ducky was waiting for them and he didn't look happy.

"You couldn't go more than a few hours without getting hurt?" he asked as Ed stepped out of the car, his eyes going to the thick bulge of bandages around the teen's shoulder.

Edward grinned sheepishly while the agents hauled Moore out of the car. "I'd like to say that this is the quickest I've gotten hurt after being patched up, but I'd be lying."

"Well, come on. I haven't got all day and _don't_ think you won't get questioned about him." He glared at all of them while pointing at Moore. Ed dutifully followed the doctor inside, leaving Moore in the capable hands of the NCIS agents. Ed took a seat on the stool he'd vacated only a few hours ago. Meanwhile, McGee and DiNozzo hoisted Moore up onto one of the autopsy tables. Ed half hoped the man would wake up so he could watch him freak out.

"I had a paramedic look at it. She said I also popped a couple of my stitches," he told Ducky as he carefully pulled off his hoodie and t-shirt. McGee and DiNozzo barely stopped themselves from flinching as they took in the sight of Edward's automail and all the scars bruises littering his torso. Gibbs' eyes narrowed intently, but he remained silent. Even without the scars, the amount of bruising was almost impressive.

Ducky carefully removed the dressings the paramedic had applied and made a sympathetic noise when he saw the wound. "You'll need stitches in that cut and I need to redo at least half of the original ones." Ed shrugged his automail shoulder and nodded. "I don't know if I have any local anesthetic left," Ducky mused, half to himself.

"Don't worry about it. Just stitch me up without it," Ed told him.

Ducky looked horrified. "You are not getting a dozen stitches without some sort of pain relief. I'll find something," he said sternly before heading off to do just that while Ed watched him, a little shocked at the coroner's adamant attitude. McGee and DiNozzo sniggered at his face until they were stopped by identical glares from both Edward and Gibbs. Ducky came back from his storage closet. "I had enough local anesthetic," he announced.

"Sweet," Ed said as he watched Ducky administer it. After a couple of minutes, he couldn't feel anything and he gave the doctor the go ahead.

"So what happened this time?" Ducky asked as he started stitching.

"Well, he was kinda pissed that he fell for the fake stones, and I _may_ have made a comment about his intelligence being non-existent. Turns out he had a knife stashed in the room and he attacked me. He got my shoulder but buried the knife in the wall doing so. I punched him in the gut to get him away from me and Mustang hit him hard enough for Gibbs and Hotch to cuff him with minimal resistance," Ed answered.

" _Hmm_. So why is he unconscious? Who knocked him out?" Ducky queried. DiNozzo snorted a little, but Gibbs slapped him on the back of the head.

"That would be me," Ed told him and Ducky looked confused. "I knocked him out because his voice was getting really annoying," he explained and Ducky looked exasperated.

"At least tell me you don't make a habit of doing that?" he asked.

Ed actually had to pause and think about his answer. "No…. I usually knock them out during the fight or they're smart enough to mouth off after I'm out of striking distance," he finally said. "Moore was neither. Idiot decided to bitch about being arrested and kept threatening me and Mustang, so I elbowed him in the back of the head," he added defensively.

"I'm not certain why that doesn't surprise me, and I've only known you for a few days," Ducky muttered, continuing work on Ed's shoulder. McGee and DiNozzo joined in on Ed's chuckle. Ducky soon had all of Edward's wounds stitched up and was just packing away his supplies when Moore started stirring. Ed was kind of surprised the crazy man had stayed out as long as he had.

"McGee, take Edward upstairs to the conference room," Gibbs ordered and Ed started to argue, but realised it was probably for the best if he wasn't around when Moore started bitching again. Gibbs and DiNozzo should be able to control Moore well enough, since Edward had all of the real Stones. He followed McGee to the elevator, hearing the beginnings of Moore's mumbling as the autopsy doors slid shut behind them.

* * *

When they opened the conference room door, he was greeted by far less noise than he'd expected. Though, now that he was thinking about it, it was nearly five a.m. and everyone was probably exhausted. Ed knew _he_ was, despite his extended nap the day before. Mustang was the first to notice him, though Ed had the feeling that was because he was watching the door, even though he'd been doing a good job at pretending he wasn't. Mustang was, however, not the first person to greet him.

"Edward!" JJ got that honour as she stood up to fuss over him. "Are you alright?" she asked, her concerned-mum voice coming out. She had his face between her hands and was checking the bruises she could see.

"Doctor Mallard patched me up. I'll be pretty sore tomorrow, but I'm alright, Miss JJ," Ed told her and she looked at him for a moment before sighing in resignation.

"You should go back to the hotel and get some sleep," she said but Hotch spoke up.

"First, we need to know what happened after he and Agent David were taken. Everything from that moment until we showed up." His tone and expression were apologetic.

"Okay. So you saw Miss Ziva and I get put in that van, right?" Ed asked and everyone nodded. He started telling them everything and no one commented throughout the story, except to snort when Ziva reminded him he'd turned around and flipped Moore off as they were running. It took almost a half hour to tell it all, and Ziva made some insertions when Edward missed something, which he appreciated. "And then you lot turned up just as Moore got my shoulder with that spike," he finished.

"Thank you, Edward. Do you think you can tell us what happened in the building tonight? Brigadier General Mustang has already given us his version of the events, but we'd like to hear yours," Rossi asked and Ed scowled at the use of Mustang's title.

"Sure. We snuck in through a window and past the four people on the first floor. Mustang and I took down the next four on the second floor. When we got to the third floor, I went through the air vents and took down three people, then helped Mustang tackle the only one in his trio that decided to fight. We secured them and went up to the last floor. I made Mustang stay behind so I could play bait, like we had planned. I used the door Moore was hiding behind to take out one of the three idiots who decided to fight with Moore. The bigger dude eventually got me in a choke hold and then the skinny dude stole the fake stones from me. Moore fell for the trick, I broke the big dude's nose, and the lanky dude took off. From what I heard outside; Mustang took care of him. After that, I fought Moore, who was really pissed that I wasn't as dumb as he thought I was. I'm pretty sure Mustang took the other dude out of the room, but I was occupied with dodging Moore's knife, so I'm not entirely sure. Then Moore tried to stab me and missed. I hit him in the gut and Mustang punched him. Then you lot came in and arrested Moore."

Mustang was kind of glad he wasn't the only one whom Edward reported to like that, but Hotch didn't seem to mind.

"Well, that seems pretty consistent with what the Brigadier General said." Ed rolled his eyes at Mustang's title. Hotch looked between the two alchemists. "Did you want to go back to the hotel to get some sleep?"

Edward and Mustang exchanged a look. "We will, but separately, just in case," Mustang replied. "I don't think Moore will be able to do anything since he doesn't have the Stones, but there's no point in taking chances." The BAU agents looked like they wanted to insist they both just go but decided against it.

"Okay. Who's going first?" Hotch asked.

"Me. Mustang did fuck-all, and I need a shower," Ed said, jumping up and dismissing Mustang before he could even say anything.

"I'll agree you need a shower," Mustang drawled and Edward whirled on his commander and glared at him.

"I'll kick your ass," Ed warned, and Mustang gave him an inviting look, as if to say 'what are you waiting for?'. Ed spotted it a second after Morgan did.

"As much fun," Morgan said as he caught Ed by his automail arm, "as it would be to see you actually kick his ass, we should go before the morning traffic gets too bad."

Ed glared at Mustang for a moment longer before turning to Morgan. "Okay. Let's go." He flipped Mustang off as he headed for the door.

Prentiss followed Morgan and Edward out to the elevator and down to the cars. Even though Moore was in custody, their orders to make sure that there were always two agents with each of the alchemists still stood. It didn't take long for them to get to the hotel, though it took longer than Edward would have thought, since even though it was early morning there was a lot of traffic. One good thing about Central (and Amestris in general) was that even though it was the capital city, there still weren't this many cars. Ed headed up to his and Mustang's room before turning to face the agents.

"Wake me up in," he thought for a second, "five hours. That should be good enough. Then Mustang can come and get his beauty sleep." Morgan nodded, but Prentiss looked a little concerned.

"Are you sure five hours will be long enough?" she asked and Ed nodded.

"Yup. I'll use my absorbing array while I sleep. It'll be fine," Ed told her and although she didn't look convinced, she nodded and they left him alone and headed for their own rooms. The shower he took was _amazing_. He could feel the crazy from Moore and his lackeys washing off of him and he was grateful Ducky had thought to put waterproof bandages on his shoulder so he didn't have to worry about changing them when he got out. Throwing on a clean tank top and boxers, he slipped into bed and was asleep only moments after drawing and activating his array.

* * *

He woke up groggily to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Rubbing his eyes to get the grit of sleep out of them, he staggered to the door and opened it to see Morgan on the other side. "If it hasn't been five hours…" he began threateningly, but Morgan held his hands up in a calming gesture.

"Chill blondie, it has been. Are you alright? Do you want to get some more sleep?" he asked, doing a very good job at not staring at Ed's automail. Of all the BAU team, only JJ and Reid had ever seen either of the whole limbs and the sight was rather disconcerting. However, Morgan knew that he'd seen worse.

Ed glared at him blearily. "No," he finally said, the threat of murder vanishing from the gold eyes. "I'm awake now. Just give me twenty minutes? Yeah, that should be plenty. Twenty minutes and I'll be ready. But we need coffee. The stuff in here is terrible and I need decent coffee to wake me up from not enough sleep," Ed told him sternly, shutting the door before Morgan could reply.

Twenty minutes later, Morgan and Prentiss were waiting downstairs in the lobby. Edward joined them a couple of minutes later, wearing another pair of jeans, his red hoodie (newly cleaned and repaired) and a black t-shirt with the quote 'Ask me if I care (hint: I don't)' written on it in white. Prentiss wondered if Garcia had been the one to pick it out. She was fairly certain that the tech genius was.

The drive back to NCIS took forever, or so it felt, but that was only because of all the traffic and Ed needed food and coffee to function properly. He looked at the clock in the car and saw it was nearly eleven a.m., which meant they had just over a day before Al would open the portal again. Ed wondered if he could talk Doctor Reid into finding him some books to read to pass the time before he remembered that some of the agents had said there was some stuff they wanted him to try before he left again.

They finally reached the Navy Yard and NCIS. Security was as thorough as ever and Ed wondered what would happen if they did find something wrong. He was curious to know how they would respond. Almost immediately, a warning voice in his head (that sounded suspiciously like Alphonse) was telling him not to do anything stupid. For once, he listened to it. The second SUV was still there when they parked, so he figured the rest of the two teams were still inside. That theory was proven correct when they walked into the conference room and saw everyone, including Vance, there.

"Appropriate," Mustang smirked, his eyes reading the quote on Ed's shirt and flicking back up to meet Ed's.

"You know it," Ed said, collapsing into his chair. He vaguely heard someone ask if he was alright (JJ, he thought), and gave them a thumbs up. "Just waiting for the coffee to kick in," he muttered and heard a familiar snicker. He flipped the older alchemist off.

"I'll head to the hotel now that Fullmetal is back," Mustang announced and Ed lifted his head up. Rossi and JJ were standing near him.

"Thank fuck. You need all the sleep you can get in your old age," Ed snarked.

Mustang glared at him. "Keep it up brat, and I'll tell Alphonse how little sleep you've been getting," he threatened, but Ed looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"You think he doesn't already know? But go ahead. While you tell him that, I'll tell Miss Riza just how well-rested and eager to get back to your paperwork you are." He raised his eyebrow, challenging Mustang to try him and the flame alchemist glared at the blond before Rossi cleared his throat not-so-subtly and Mustang nodded.

"Try not to blow the building up, Fullmetal," he drawled as he moved to the door.

"You're not going to be in it. What would be the point?" Ed snapped as the door shut. He still glared at it, just in case. He looked back at the group and saw the bewildered looks on the junior NCIS agents' faces. The BAU agents seemed resigned and mildly amused – they were used to the vitriol from the two alchemists, after all – and both Gibbs and Vance looked nonplussed. "What?" he asked.

"Okay, do you and General Mustang get along or not?" DiNozzo asked bluntly. He didn't seem fazed by the looks he was getting from his teammates.

"Course we do. Wouldn't work together if we didn't." Ed frowned, confused. It was way too early for this, but DiNozzo looked even more perplexed. "If I don't like someone, I don't go near them and I certainly don't work with them. I mean, I hated him at first and I worked under him because that was part of our deal. He would sponsor me into the State Alchemist program and support my search for the Philosopher's Stone so I could help my brother, as long as I worked for him. He never hid the fact that he was using me as a tool to climb the political ladder. But I couldn't – and still don't – give a fuck about that. As long as he kept to our agreement and let me search for what I needed, I didn't care. There have been plenty of military higher-ups who have approached me with kind words and amazing promises and I told them all to fuck off because it was obvious that Mustang was the only one in the military who would do me the common courtesy of telling me the truth, no matter how harsh it was. It wasn't until after the Promised Day that Mustang and I could actually talk without trying to tear each other's throats out and without worrying as much about corrupt dicks trying to use it against us."

"So…the fighting?" McGee asked.

Ed sighed. "It's what we always do. If someone you worked with all the time changed the way they acted around you or someone you both work with, what would you think?" he asked pointedly and saw the moment they understood. "We act like this because it's a habit to act this way around people. Even around our teammates and my brother. If Mustang and I weren't getting along, we wouldn't be taunting each other like this." He shrugged and sat up properly.

"That…actually makes a lot of sense," DiNozzo said, sounding a little surprised. Ziva and McGee just rolled their eyes at him.

"Of course it does," Edward replied. "Now, what are we going to do to kill the next twenty-five hours or so?" he asked, just before the conference room door burst open, startling everyone. Abby and Garcia stood in the doorway.

"We saw General Mustang on our way up here," Abby explained. "He told us that you were back!" She moved over to Edward and pulled him out of his seat and hugged him tightly before letting him go. He barely had time to react to that when Garcia swept him up in an equally tight hug. "Hey, Director Vance, we're going to steal Edward for a little while," Abby added once she realised her director was in the room.

"And why are you stealing Edward, Miss Scuito?" he asked, deep voice tinged slightly with amusement. Ed had finally been released by the blonde tech genius and was now being lectured about worrying her.

"Oh! I ran some blood tests on the…Amestrians? Is that right?" Abby asked, looking over to Edward for clarification. When he nodded, she continued, turning back to Vance. "I ran tests on their blood. Scientific curiosity. I wanted to see the difference between our dimensions on a genetic level, and I also needed to type Moore's blood in case we had to I.D. a body."

"And what does that have to do with kidnapping our guest?" he asked, making her realise that she hadn't _actually_ answered the question.

"Oh! Ed was curious as well and all of the test results are in now. I was going to show him – if you guys didn't need him anymore. Sir." She added the last part quickly, like she'd almost forgotten to do so.

"Why are you with Miss Scuito, Garcia?" Hotch asked with amusement. Garcia looked over at him, pausing in her fussing over Edward for the moment.

"Scientific curiosity," she replied.

"You aren't a scientist," Hotch pointed out, his brow quirking upwards in amusement.

"But I _am_ curious," she sing-songed back and Hotch allowed a small smile before nodding. She grinned before beginning to pull Edward through the door.

"We'd like Major Elric back in one piece, Miss Scuito," Vance said. "And," he added, looking at both Edward and Abby, "no more experiments with alchemy that result in explosions, no matter how minor," he warned and Ed gave him a sheepish grin.

"Yes, Director." Abby smiled her nicest smile.

Ed looked over at Reid. "Hey Reid, do you wanna come with us?" Reid looked at Hotch hopefully. The BAU team leader just nodded and Reid grinned, eyes glinting with excitement as he stood up and joined them at the door. They were out of the door a moment later, oblivious to everyone's amusement at their excitement.

* * *

Soon they were entering Abby's lab and were surprised to see Ducky standing near the computers. A quick look around confirmed there was no one else down there and Ed theorized that maybe the good doctor was down here for the same reason they were: he was curious about the Amestrians' blood tests and wanted to see the results.

"Hey, Doctor Mallard," Ed greeted the elderly coroner as they piled into the lab. He looked up, mildly startled by their arrival.

"Ah, Edward. How are you this morning? Or rather, this afternoon? You haven't gotten into _another_ fight, have you?" he asked sternly and Ed shook his head.

"Nope. I went back to the hotel and crashed for a few hours so I'm good. I'm guessing that you came down here to see what Miss Abby found out?"

Ducky nodded. "Oh, yes. I admit that I am rather intrigued by what differences there could be in our blood. Abby has, of course, already shown me the results from the first set of tests she ran on your blood. It's rather remarkable that your DNA doesn't share a link with any ethnicity in our world." Ducky sounded excitably curious about it.

Edward hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should reveal, but then decided that it didn't really matter. It wasn't like the BAU or NCIS agents could reveal the truth to anyone in this dimension and be believed. They also weren't likely to ever run into anyone else from Amestris – and the truth about Ed's and Al's parentage wasn't a classified secret. It was only important to the two of them, now that Van Hohenheim was dead.

"To be honest, my brother and I are the only people in Amestris, that we know of, who have a direct connection to and are members of a particular race that was wiped out almost six hundred years ago. We're half Xerxian, half Amestrian. I'm not surprised you don't have an ethnic group here that matches that. Apparently, gold eyes are unheard of in both our worlds," Ed grinned at him. All four of the Americans looked intrigued by what he said.

"That's fascinating. How is it that you are half – Xerxian, was it?" Ducky asked and Ed nodded. "Half-Xerxian if that race went extinct six hundred years ago?"

"My father," the venom in his voice was less than it would have been a year ago, but still full of bitterness, "Van Hohenheim, was the Xerxian slave whose blood was used to create the first homunculous, the one who eventually became Father. The homunculous deceived him – he gave my father his name, taught him how to read and write, and taught him alchemy. With the knowledge that he got from the homunculous, Hohenheim was freed by his master and became an alchemy apprentice. When the homunculous tricked the King of Xerxes into preparing the array that he believed would make him immortal, the homunculous ensured that Hohenheim would be in the center of the circle when it was activated. The result was that although the entire nation of Xerxes was wiped out, the souls of the people were put into two Philosopher's Stones – half of them went to the homunculous, and the other half went to my father. With a Philosopher's Stone inside him, my father was essentially immortal. Since he was also Xerxian, when he married my mother, who was Amestrian, that means Al and I are half Xerxian."

Ducky nodded. "I'm assuming from what you mentioned, your eye colour is a trait of the Xerxian race?" Ducky asked and Ed nodded. "I see. Well, you are right about your eye colour being unusual. I've certainly never seen or heard of anyone coming across people whose eyes were naturally gold in colour."

"This is all really fascinating, and no, I'm not being sarcastic, but let's get to what we came down here for," Abby interrupted.

Ed scratched the back of his neck self-consciously, relieved for the change in subject. He didn't like talking about his father or his father's role in the Promised Day. "Sure thing, Miss Abby. What'd you find out?" he asked as he moved closer to the computer screen.

She tapped the keyboard for a moment before she pulled up several files. She arranged them so that all three were visible. "Okay, so this is Moore's blood. This one is Ed's, and this one is Mustang's," she told them, pointing to the files in question. "So the first thing I did was look at the genomes that indicate race. As you can guess, Ed's don't really show up anywhere. Some of them indicate that he could be of German descent, but they weren't an exact match. Moore's closely resembles German, but again isn't a complete match, but I'm going to assume that Amestrian DNA would register as German being the closest match. Mustang's DNA actually doesn't indicate Amestrian descent at all – but it does indicate more of an Asian descent. Maybe Japanese, possibly Korean. I'm assuming that Mustang isn't Amestrian?"

"Um…well, he's an Amestrian citizen," Ed said awkwardly. "But…yeah, as far as I know, his parents were from Xing, which is the country to the east of ours."

She nodded. "Okay, so here at least, he would be registered as Asian descent," she concluded. "But, like I said, none of the race genomes match exactly to any region. They just share similar markers to ones we've registered here." She sounded completely fascinated by this. Ed was intrigued by that as well.

"Oh, what about that second anomaly you found, Miss Abby?" he asked, remembering that it was the whole reason they made Mustang give them blood. Abby immediately pulled up the files she needed.

"Okay, so this was the second thing that really got me curious," she said before using her pointer to show them what she meant. "Ed already knows what my hypothesis is for it. I think it's their alchemy."

"Why?" Reid asked, curious to know how she reached that conclusion.

"It was something Ed said. He said he was born with the brains _and_ the talent to use it. So I figured it had something to do with his genetic make-up. This anomaly is present in all three samples, though it's much fainter in Moore's than it is in Ed's or Mustang's. Ergo, alchemy."

Ed nodded in agreement. "She's probably right. Moore has alchemic talent; he just doesn't have enough for it to count. There are probably hundreds of people in Amestris who have the energy inside of themselves but lack the actual ability to use it. I've known other people who've studied alchemy for years but were never able to do more than the most basic transmutations – they just didn't have the strength or power to perform the higher-level transmutations."

"That could be true," Reid observed. "There's a difference between reading about something and actually doing it."

"I don't really know if that makes sense though. I guess the best way I can put it is that there's something instinctual about performing alchemy and if you don't have that instinct, you can't transmute," Ed tried to explain and he was relieved to see that they understood what he was trying to say.

"So you think Abby's right? That anomaly is your alchemy on a genetic level?" Reid asked. Ed shrugged, but nodded. "That's amazing. I wonder what else we could find out if we did an in-depth study of your blood?" he mused.

Ed shook his head. "Miss Abby's destroyed all of our blood samples, right?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah. As soon as I was done with them, they got incinerated. I'll end up scrubbing the results from my systems as well, just like I promised General Mustang I would," Abby said, sighing a little in sadness.

"Thanks, Miss Abby," Ed said sincerely, giving her a grateful smile. Reid distracted Abby with all sorts of questions that she and Ducky took turns answering. Ed joined in while Garcia asked clarifying questions, as she was more into tech stuff, not icky stuff, so she wasn't always able to follow what they were saying until she had them explain it a bit more for her.

They'd moved on from the blood samples to technology when Ed had admitted that he wasn't sure what half the stuff in the lab did, even after Abby's earlier tour. They were shocked to learn that the most advanced technology Amestris had were phones and cars. Reid and Garcia had already known this, and Abby and Ducky had suspected, but none of them had really realised just how badly behind his world was.

Morgan and DiNozzo walked in on that conversation and were admittedly confused, since they had expecting the conversation to still be about the blood samples and the test results.

"Hey, Boo," Garcia greeted Morgan when she spotted the two men.

"What up, loser?" Abby greeted Tony in turn as Ed raised a hand in a half-wave.

"Heya baby girl," Morgan smiled, sliding over to stand behind Garcia while Tony went to stand next to Abby.

"Hi nerd," Tony finished the round of greetings, squeezing her shoulders in a half-hug as he spotted Ducky. "Oh, hey Duckster. Didn't realise you'd be down here," he added with a grin.

"Well, I was admittedly intrigued when Abby showed me the results from young Edward's blood. I just had to see the other results myself," Ducky told him and Tony nodded. He didn't understand the fascination over some blood, but he could understand why Ducky would be interested.

"I'm sure you two aren't here to see what Abby found so what's up?" Reid asked and Morgan nodded.

"You'd be right genius. Prentiss and JJ want Ed for some reason," Morgan said and Ed furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Did they say what they wanted?" he asked. He couldn't remember them asking him for anything.

"Nope. They just told us to come and get you. You don't argue with JJ when she's using her 'mum' voice," Morgan told him and Reid and Garcia snickered from behind Ed. "You two shut your mouths," he ordered good-naturedly, the humour in his eyes lessening the impact of his order.

"Come on then. We'd better not keep them waiting," Ed said, before facing Abby. "Thank you for showing me the results. They were really informative," he said, dipping into a small bow. Abby immediately swept him up into a hug once he'd straightened.

"Thanks for letting me do the tests. And thank General Mustang too. It was fun," she said as he hugged her back, pretty much resigned to the nearly constant hugs he got from Abby and Garcia. He was finally released and allowed to leave, everyone except Abby and Ducky accompanying him back up to the conference room. Vance was no longer there, and Ed wasn't surprised to see Rossi and Mustang were missing, but he was surprised JJ wasn't there either.

"I thought you said JJ was the one to ask me back up here?" he asked Morgan.

"Yeah, she called. Someone's going to take you and Prentiss to the hotel so that person can switch with JJ," Morgan explained and Ed blinked before deciding to roll with it.

"Oh. Okay. I'm ready whenever you are, Prentiss," he said and she smiled at him before looking at Garcia.

"Are you coming with us?" she asked and Garcia nodded.

"Yup. Just let me get my bag. I'll meet you at the car," she offered and Prentiss nodded so Garcia left the room to gather her things.

"Reid, do you want to head to the hotel with us and switch with JJ?" Prentiss offered and Reid considered for a moment.

"Sure. I can get some reading done," he said finally. Ed realised in that moment that he'd neglected to ask something.

"Hey, how's Moore?" he asked Gibbs, who sighed slightly.

"He's been very vocal," he told him irritably. "Ducky treated his injuries and then we put him in one of the secure interrogation rooms. The director has had a few people complain about the amount of noise he's making."

DiNozzo shook his head in admiration. "I'm honestly kinda impressed he hasn't given up yet." Gibbs slapped him on the back of the head with a glare for extra emphasis.

"I can go and shut him up again. It honestly wouldn't be an issue, and I'd genuinely enjoy it," Ed offered, smirking in anticipation.

"Tempting, but no. We can't let you knock him out." Gibbs didn't sound overly happy to be saying that and Ed pouted a little.

"Not even if I use chemicals?" he asked and the three younger NCIS agents all looked ready to take him up on that offer, but Gibbs shook his head again.

"Not even then."

"Okay. But if you change your mind…" he trailed off pointedly and Gibbs _almost_ smiled.

"I'll keep it in mind," he said dryly and Ed nodded before being hurried out the door by a now impatient Prentiss and an amused Reid.

* * *

Prentiss didn't tell Ed anything about what they were doing during the whole drive and Garcia was just as quiet about it. Apparently, JJ was the one with the plan and wanted to be the one to tell Ed, so they were respecting her wishes. That was, in fact, something Ed could also respect. It had only taken him ruining one of Winry's surprises for Al when they were younger before he learned that lesson. (And from what Al had told him, _he'd_ only needed to be taught the same lesson once himself.) They reached the hotel and JJ was already waiting outside for them. She and Reid exchanged a few words before Reid waved goodbye to the group and headed inside, while JJ climbed into the seat Reid had occupied and gave Prentiss some instructions.

"So…where are we going?" Ed asked, feeling like it was safe to ask, since JJ was present.

"I thought we'd take you to do some shopping with us so you can seem some of what our country has to offer, and then after that we're going to see a movie that I think you'll enjoy," she told him.

Ed had to think back to his first visit to America. Garcia had explained pop culture to him and had also explained television and movies. The idea of seeing a movie had excited Edward. JJ had been sad that he hadn't had a chance to see one before they'd gone home, so apparently she was determined to make up for it this time.

"Really?" he asked excitedly and JJ nodded.

"Yup. Though you'll probably appreciate the fact that you get to sit down after we're done shopping more. I've been told we're hard to keep up with," JJ said, half apologetic and half amused.

Ed rolled his eyes. "I had to go along with Winry when she dragged me through the entirety of Central City searching for one stupid wrench that she wanted. I think I'll live." It had taken forever to find the exact wrench that she'd wanted and, naturally, it was in the last shop they'd looked at.

"I think he's challenging us," Garcia said to the other two women. They all had a look in their eyes that would have made Ed nervous if he hadn't been around Winry his whole life.

"Bring it on," he challenged them with a smirk and they all laughed at him. He kept asking questions about what they were going to do and see, but JJ was still tight-lipped about the whole thing, telling him that he'd just have to wait and see.

* * *

Ed soon discovered just how different America was from Amestris. In Amestris, shops were independently owned – usually single buildings run by a single proprietor. The concept of chain stores and retail giants hadn't yet made its way there. JJ took them to a huge building that she called a "mall", which, according to the women, had over _three hundred_ stores in it. The idea of a single building holding that many stores was mind-boggling. He also learned just how different shopping was with these three, compared to shopping with Winry, or even the one-time Captain Hawkeye had asked him to accompany her so he could help her carry her purchases back to her apartment. In both cases, the Amestrian women had known exactly what they were looking for. The American women, on the other hand, were just flitting in and out of random shops whenever something caught their eye, dragging Ed along with him.

He was amazed by the wide variety of things on offer. The sheer number of _clothing_ stores alone was hard to comprehend, especially for someone like him, who owned a total of four outfits, not including his formal military uniform, which he had probably only worn once in nearly six years, or the clothing the women had bought him already. The women kept trying to buy him things, but Ed asked how they expected him to take all the stuff home, hoping that the question would deter them. They seemed to deflate a little and Edward about to call it a win until Garcia suddenly perked up.

"We can buy him a backpack to store it all in!" she exclaimed and the two other women were immediately on board with this idea.

"Guys, you do know you don't need to buy me things? Don't go spending your money on me. I can't pay you back for it," Ed protested as they dragged him along to a store that sold backpacks and other types of luggage and bags. "You already bought us some clothing so we would fit in here."

"We know, Ed," JJ told him.

"We want to though," Prentiss assured him.

"Besides, in the unlikely event that we end up in Amestris somehow, you can return the favour," Garcia said cheerfully, and that seemed to end the conversation, as far as they were concerned. Anytime Ed tried to raise a further objection, he was overruled – except when Garcia tried to buy him some kind of technology. _Then_ JJ and Prentiss were on Ed's side when he reminded her that he wouldn't be able to use it in Amestris due to their lack of technology. And if someone saw him using it, there would be questions about where he'd gotten it and it would mean that the secret of dimension travel would be exposed – the last thing that he or Mustang wanted. Garcia had pouted, but ultimately conceded the argument.

* * *

By the time JJ had announced that they needed to head to the cinema, Ed was almost as tired as he was after one of Winry's visits. He had to admit, women shopping in both dimensions were equally exhausting. They headed to the movie theatre after putting their purchases in the car since they'd bought too much stuff to carry in with them. JJ went up to the ticket seller and bought all of their tickets to see a movie called "Iron Man". Prentiss bought drinks and a few snacks, just so Ed would have the experience of movie theatre concessions, although she admitted that they would be going back to NCIS after the movie for dinner. Soon they were leading Ed into a darkened room with a massive screen and were taking their seats.

When they left after the movie was over, Ed couldn't stop asking questions about how the movie was made and some things he didn't understand about the plot of the movie. Garcia did her best to answer the technical stuff, and what she didn't know she pulled out her phone to look up the answer. It blew his mind to learn that most of the movie had been made with special effects and computers. The other two women switched their phones back on and Prentiss excused herself to call Hotch back.

By the time Prentiss rejoined them, they were organising their purchases and putting the things they'd bought for Ed into the bag they'd bought him. Garcia had, once she'd seen them, declared backpacks too small and went and found him a large duffel bag.

Ed had been forced to stand off to the side and not peek, since some of the gifts were supposed to be surprises and thus he was the first one to notice Prentiss rejoining them. She was still on the phone, but from her casual attitude, he was fairly certain she wasn't talking to Hotch anymore. She hung up just as she reached where he was standing.

"They're packing up your stuff, huh?"

Ed nodded. "Apparently, I'm not allowed to know everything they got me until I get back to Amestris. What did Hotch want?"

"He wanted me to let you know Mustang was back at NCIS."

"So who were you talking to just then?" he asked and Prentiss smirked.

"You noticed I was on the phone with someone else, huh?" He nodded. "Good observation. I was talking to Agent David. She told me to make sure you didn't have anything to eat before we get back, since she's cooked dinner for everyone."

Ed's face lit up at that. "She said she wanted to cook some of her home country's food for us, but I wasn't sure if she'd be able to."

Prentiss had to grin at how enthusiastic he was. None of the agents had really ever seen Ed act his biological age in the time that they had known him. "Well, I'll go and help those two so we can speed this up and get going, shall I?" Ed nodded his head so enthusiastically Prentiss thought it would come off. She laughed, ruffled his hair and made her way over to her teammates. She packed away the gifts she'd bought Ed as well and helped them get everything else organised. In no time at all, they were telling Ed he could get back in the car.

* * *

The trip back was a little quicker than the trip out to the mall since they didn't have to stop at the hotel to pick anyone up. They spent the car ride actually talking about the shopping trip and the movie, since all of Ed's questions about the technical side of it had been answered. Garcia decided the best part of the movie was Robert Downey Jr., and the two women agreed with her while Ed rolled his eyes once Garcia told him who Robert Downey Jr. was.

The drive through the security checkpoint was as uneventful as it had been every other time and soon they were parked beside the second SUV and were climbing out. There was a brief delay while they debated whether or not to bring the shopping in with them, until Ed pointed out that they'd just have to bring it back out and it wasn't like anyone would steal it from the car anyway. They could smell the food as soon as they left the elevator and their mouths watered.

"Hey, we're back," JJ greeted the others as she walked into the conference room. Greetings were exchanged and they took the seats that had been left for them. Ed sat between Mustang and Ziva while the rest of the group took the remaining available seats. The only person missing from the group was Vance, who had been unable to join them due to a prior engagement – at least according to Ziva when Ed asked where the director was.

"I hope you all enjoy the food. Dig in,' Ziva said when Gibbs pointedly look at her and then the covered dishes in the center of the table. No one hesitated after she spoke. Ed grabbed a little of everything while Ziva explained what was what to everyone.

* * *

Conversation was light, everyone mostly asking Ed and the three women what they'd been up to during the day. Ed left most of the discussion to the others, too busy enjoying everything on his plate. Ziva seemed pleased by his enjoyment whenever he tried anything knew, like the Ptitim or the chicken albondigas tentatively before digging into the rest of it with vigor. He was just trying the falafel when he heard his name. Looking up he realised it was Rossi who was talking to him.

"Sorry, what?" he asked after he finished his current mouthful.

"I asked if you had fun today. You were being pretty quiet over there," Rossi repeated his question.

"Oh, yeah! It was awesome seeing how different shops here are. You guys sell so many more varieties of the same stuff than we do. Plus, the movie was amazing! I hope Amestris catches up technologically to this dimension soon. I think it will be incredible when we have movies too! I am sorry for not answering more questions, but the food is just really good!" he smiled sheepishly and Ziva flushed a little at the praise.

"You're lucky Fullmetal heard you at all," Mustang teased. "Good food seems to capture all of his focus." This time Ed did retaliate by stamping on his foot with his automail one. Though he was nice enough to not put all of his strength behind it (just enough for Mustang to get the point). The growl the flame alchemist gave him told Ed he had.

"I'm glad you're enjoying my food," Ziva said, smiling with pleasure at their obvious enjoyment. Ed grinned back before digging into his serving, though he did pay more attention to the conversation than he had previously.

"You're an excellent cook, Agent David," Mustang complimented her and she smiled at him. "I'd ask for recipes, but I doubt I'd do these dishes any justice."

Ed couldn't pass up on the opening. "Yeah, I heard last time Mustang was allowed in a kitchen, he burnt the water he was boiling." No one could suppress their laughter when Mustang made an indignant noise.

"Who told you that?" he demanded.

"Elysia. Gracia backed her up after she finished laughing," Ed told him and had the pleasure of witnessing Mustang turn red with embarrassment.

"Who're Gracia and Elysia?" McGee asked and Ed looked over at him while Mustang was still trying to regain his composure.

"Mustang's best friend's wife and daughter," Ed replied. "My brother Al and I have been living with them since the Promised Day, and Elysia thinks of us as her big brothers."

"I don't think I like the fact that you're staying with them anymore," Mustang muttered as he dug back into his ptitim.

"I don't think I care," Ed replied as he tried some of the mangal meats that were offered when the plate came around again. Ziva and Reid (who was sitting on Mustang's other side) snickered.

* * *

The rest of the night passed with pleasant conversation and laughter as the three teams swapped stories. Abby had appeared a few minutes after they started eating, although she left for a few minutes when her phone chimed to let her know some of her test results had come in. She came back fifteen minutes later, after emailing the results to the agent-in-charge, just in time for some dessert that Ziva and Ducky had collaborated on.

Somehow, they got into a rhythm of storytelling. The BAU would tell them about a case, then NCIS, and then either Ed or Mustang. Over the course of the evening, they heard about the Zodiac Killer copycat, the woman who paralyzed her victims and turned them into life-sized dolls, and the comic book writer who blacked out and hunted down his fiancée's killers. The NCIS team told them about the military chaplain who had kidnapped and married multiple women before killing them when they were unable to fulfill his idealized fantasy of what a wife should be, the Navy K-9 handler whom everyone thought had been killed by his own dog (although apparently the dog now belongs to McGee), and the NCIS agent friend of Abby's who had been killed trying to get a painting to her.

Mustang told them about a few cases he had worked before he became strapped to his desk. Ed listened intently once he realised these were missions he hadn't heard about and had to laugh at any of the ones that involved Hughes. Any time Hughes was involved, the officer had always "magically" timed his appearances for after the alchemic fights were over. Ed, when it came to be his turn, told them about Father Cornello and how he'd tricked Yoki into selling him ownership of a town that he'd swindled the townsfolk out of, and how he'd then restored the town to its citizens. He finished telling them how Yoki had walked in on him having dinner in the newly repaired inn to complain the gold he'd been given was coal when Mustang shook his head.

"I feel like I shouldn't be surprised you lied on that report. I knew it read too well," he sighed and Ed flashed him a shit-eating grin.

"If you knew half the shit I 'forgot' to put in my reports, you'd have to court-martial me and kick me out of the military."

"I don't _ever_ want to know. I can only imagine the paperwork that would go with it…and don't tempt me on that court-martial, brat. You've given me more than enough reason over the years." His comment caused Ed and a few of the agents to laugh, but this time he didn't seem to mind. They exchanged more stories until Gibbs realised that it was nearly midnight.

"Go home, or back to the hotel and get some sleep while none of us have a case," he ordered and received agreement from Hotch and Rossi. Ziva was glad to see that she wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up leftovers, since between the three teams they'd devoured every scrap of food. Everyone helped her stack her dishes and carry them down to car as they left.

"Thanks, everyone," Ziva said as they finished loading the dishes in her car. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Ed looked at all the dishes and frowned. "Will you be alright unloading all of that? Do you want us to help you?"

She gave him a grateful smile but shook her head. "No, it's okay, Edward. Tony and McGee are going to follow me home and help me unload everything before they go back to their apartments for the night." Both NCIS agents nodded and gave him a thumbs up to indicate they had it under control.

"Okay. Thank you for dinner, Ziva. It was delicious." He looked over at Ducky. "The dessert you made was really yummy as well, Doctor Mallard."

"Yes, both dinner and dessert were delightful. Thank you," Mustang agreed, his observation echoed by everyone else. Ziva and Ducky assured them that it hadn't been any trouble and they split up, heading for their own vehicles.

* * *

Before he knew it, they were at the hotel and parked. JJ and Prentiss were going to hold onto Ed's gifts for now and he shook his head at them but didn't argue. They exchanged goodnights and went to their rooms. Ed beat Mustang into the shower by simply getting there before the older man could even ask. By the time Mustang emerged from the shower, Ed was curled up in his bed with a book he'd borrowed from Reid.

"What are you reading?" Mustang asked and Ed's golden eyes flicked upwards to meet his before returning to the book.

"It's called War and Peace by a Russian author named Leo Tolstoy. Reid loaned it to me." Mustang snatched the book out of the boy's hands, ignored the angry yell, and flipped it over so he could read the page Ed was on. Except…he couldn't read it. The book wasn't written in any language he could read.

"Are you even able to read that?" Mustang asked, handing Ed the book. The teen snatched it and glared murder at him.

"Of course I can read it! Reid said this was Russian, but it's similar enough to Drachmann for me to figure it out," he growled and settled back into his blankets to keep reading.

Mustang shook his head. He hadn't even known that Edward knew Drachmann. Utilising a skill he'd perfected during the Ishvalan Civil War, when a soldier had to get whatever sleep they could under any circumstances, Mustang drifted off to sleep despite the light and the occasional whisper of paper as Ed turned the page.

* * *

When Mustang woke up the next morning, he noted the time first. Groaning as he realised that the clock showed that it was only seven a.m., he rolled over and had to suppress a grin at the sight that met his eyes. Ed was still in the same position he'd been in the night before, but now he was fast asleep, with a finger between the pages of his book to mark his spot. His golden hair was splayed over his face and his flesh hand was tucked up under his cheek. Mustang was always surprised at how much younger he looked when he slept.

Dragging himself out of bed, he went through his normal morning routine, trying to be as quiet as possible so he didn't wake Ed up. He knew the kid was still tired from all of the alchemy he'd performed over the past few days and that he was still catching up on sleep he'd been denying himself in Amestris. He also knew that Ed would be the one who figure out a way to get them up into the portal, likely using alchemy somehow, so he was willing to let him sleep in. It didn't hurt that if he was asleep, he wouldn't be able to sass Mustang. He decided against the coffee in the room so he didn't wake the blond up with its scent. Based on Ed's reputation, he was willing to swear that the kid was part coffee-hound. He'd just left the room to try and find coffee somewhere else when he ran into Rossi.

"Oh, I was just coming to see if the two of you were awake yet," Rossi explained.

Mustang shrugged. "Well, I am. Fullmetal is still asleep and I'd like him to stay that way for a little while longer."

"That's fine. We don't need to be at NCIS for a little while anyway. What are you doing up though?" Rossi asked.

"Looking for coffee. If Fullmetal smells it, he'll wake up."

"Well, you're in luck. I was just about to head over to a nearby coffee shop to get the rest of the team's coffees, but I wanted to check to see if you or Edward were awake before I left. You're welcome to join me," he offered.

Mustang took him up on it. Despite the fact that it was barely seven-thirty in the morning, the coffee shop was packed. The workers were doing their best to keep up with the customers, but it was just barely enough. Most of the customers seemed to realise it and were happy enough to wait, but there were a few who muttered under their breath about the long wait. Rossi and Mustang eventually reached the front of the queue and Rossi placed his order with Mustang's tacked on. After they paid, they joined the crowd who were also waiting for their orders. They got their order and were back at the hotel by eight o'clock, much to the delight of the other BAU members who were eagerly awaiting their caffeine fix.

* * *

Ed woke up slowly and blearily. The first thing he remembered was that he was reading before nodding off and immediately checked the book. Happy to see that it was still in good condition, he noted the page number he was on and sat up. The second thing he remembered was Mustang annoying him before they'd gone to bed. He looked over at the second bed and saw that it was empty. The bathroom door was open and when he sat up, he could see that the kitchen/living room area was also abandoned, so he assumed that Mustang had been awake for a bit and had either joined the BAU team or was at NCIS already. A glance at the clock told him that it was only eight-fifteen.

He groaned as he stood, stretching until he felt all of his bones crack and pop into place and went to take a shower. When he emerged twenty minutes later, he quickly packed all of his stuff up and put on his Amestrian clothes. Brushing and braiding his hair, he placed the brush he'd borrowed from JJ on top of his clothing so he wouldn't have to dig it out. He left the bag on a chair and headed out of the room only to have JJ appear right in front of him, her fist raised to knock on the door.

"What's up?" he asked once they both recovered from their surprise.

"Not much. I came to see if you were up or not." She pushed a cup of coffee into his hand. "I guess you answered my question. General Mustang said if you smelled coffee, you'd wake up. I figured it was a safer way to wake you up than shaking your shoulder like I did last time." He blushed a little bit, remembering how, on his previous visit, she'd touched him when he'd been coming out of a deep sleep and he'd reacted badly. He'd ended up with his automail blade pointed at her throat before he'd realised who it was.

"Well, he ain't wrong," Edward admitted, wanting to move past the memory. He took a sip of coffee and nodded appreciatively. It was _good_ coffee. He followed JJ back down the hallway to one of the other rooms. Inside were Mustang, Rossi, and Prentiss. "Yo. Where's everyone else?" he asked as he continued to sip his coffee and leaned against the wall.

"Already at NCIS. Garcia needs to pack up her equipment, so Morgan's helping with that. Director Vance requested Hotch and Reid to meet with him this morning so that they could work out an official report to give to Section Chief Strauss," JJ told him, sitting down next to Emily on the bed. "We're going back to the office almost as soon as you go home," she added and Ed made a noise of acknowledgement. They were pretty quiet, everyone slipping at their coffee before Mustang finally stood up.

"I'm going to go and pack my things," he said, looking at Ed pointedly. Ed ignored him in favour of taking another sip of his coffee. Mustang cleared this throat pointedly.

"All my crap's packed, Mustang, so stop staring at me," Ed said after a few moments, causing Prentiss and JJ to giggle and Rossi to smirk into his coffee. Mustang rolled his eyes but left. Ed finished his coffee and followed Mustang, tossing the cup into the bin on his way out. He snatched his bag off the chair while Mustang gathered the last of his things and shrugged his military jacket back on. They did a final once over of the room before leaving and meeting the others. Ed returned JJ's brush to her but held onto Reid's book. He wanted to finish it before they returned to Amestris, if he could.

* * *

The drive to NCIS went quicker than it usually did, but Ed gave the credit for that to him having something to do instead of staring out the windows. By the time they passed through the security checkpoint - hopefully for the last time – unloaded themselves from the car and headed into the building, it was just a few minutes past ten o'clock. DiNozzo, Ziva, and McGee were all at their desks, but their team leader wasn't anywhere in sight. Ed couldn't see Hotch or the rest of the BAU team either.

"Morning!" Tony greeted them, prompting everyone else to exchange greetings.

"Where is everyone?" Ed asked the agent who'd greeted them first.

"Gibbs and their bossman," Tony gestured to the BAU agents, "are in a meeting with Vance. I think Garcia dragged Morgan down to cyber to pack all her gear up, and I'm not sure about Agent Reid."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Agent Reid went with Gibbs and Agent Hotchner to talk to Director Vance," she told them.

"That's right," Tony said, snapping his fingers. "Agent Hotchner said something about the kid's crazy memory being of help." He stood and stretched. "I was just about to head down to check on Moore if any of you want to come with," he offered. Ed and Mustang immediately nodded, and Rossi decided to come along with them after exchanging a look with JJ and Prentiss. Ed had a feeling that decision had something to do with the fact that he'd knocked Moore out before.

Ed couldn't believe his eyes when he was taken into the observation room. There was a little computer set up to record and monitor the interrogation room but it was unmanned and dark so Ed assumed it also wasn't on. But that wasn't what had Ed so stunned: that honour went to Moore himself.

Moore was both cleaner and more disheveled than when Ed had last seen him. It was obvious someone had thrown him into a shower and he was now wearing a set of NCIS sweats, similar to what had been loaned to Ed when he'd arrived. But his hair was lanky and greasy, his skin was pale and haggard, and his eyes were both bloodshot and crazed. His whole demeanor reminded Ed of a caged animal ready to strike at anyone who came near. Ed could see the cast and bandages were clean, so he assumed Ducky had been in to offer medical assistance. But the thing that Ed found most unbelievable was that Moore wasn't making a sound.

"Yeah, he actually yelled himself hoarse," DiNozzo said with a chuckle when Ed asked. Ed couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up, and Mustang looked equally amused.

"Are you for real?" Ed asked. "That's fucking great! He complained so much he lost his voice!" Ed cackled and they heard a faint growl coming from the other side of the glass. Ed looked at Moore who was doing his best to snarl and looked up at DiNozzo.

"McGee messed around with the intercom over there so it's on all the time now. He can hear whoever is in this room and we can hear him. Or we could until he lost his voice. He also patched the cameras through to his computer so we could keep an eye on him without having to leave someone stationed in here constantly." Another growl came from the room. Ed snorted.

"You sound like a demented rabbit; knock it off," Ed told him and Moore recoiled at the insult. "It's not our fault you're locked in there. If you'd just accepted your brother was a scumbag who got what was coming to him, you wouldn't be in this mess, and most importantly, neither would we."

"You'll get what's coming to you for murdering my brother," Moore's harsh, croaky voice snarled, and Ed simply sighed.

"Stop talking. You sound like a three-year-old trying to be a demon," he told him before heading for the door. Once they were out in the hallway, he shook his head. "Glad to see his time in there hasn't affected his level of crazy," he said sarcastically.

"Why must you stir up every criminal you come across?" Mustang asked, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

"For shits and giggles," Ed deadpanned. He glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. "We've got an hour and a half before Al's supposed to open up the portal. Do we need to do anything before that?" he asked the agents, who shook their heads.

"No, I don't think so," Rossi said as they returned to the bullpen. Ed snatched up his novel from his bag and sat down in the first empty chair he saw, found his page, and started reading, ignoring the rest of the world.

"Does he know he's in Gibbs' chair?" DiNozzo whispered to the others as he sat down at his own desk. He sounded a little afraid for Ed. Mustang shrugged.

"Probably not," he said, sounding unconcerned. "Just leave him alone. Disturbing his reading when you're not Alphonse is not a good idea." The agents all hesitated, before turning away to do their own thing. Twenty minutes later, Gibbs, Hotch, Reid, and Vance came down from the Director's office. Vance and Gibbs looked bemused to see Ed sitting at Gibbs' desk. Gibbs' team weren't the only ones who were anxious to see what Gibbs was going to do about it. To their surprise, Reid was the first one to move.

"Oh, hey! You've gotten really far in that in just a night! What do you think of Tolstoy's work?" Reid asked Ed excitedly as he headed over to the desk. Mustang's jaw dropped when all Ed did was look up and smile at the interruption.

"He's really good! It's a fascinating read. I normally don't like fictional works, but this is just so well written. I can see why it's a classic," Ed told him. "I mean, it took a little bit for me to translate the wording, but Russian is pretty similar to Drachmann, so I had it worked out in no time."

Reid looked thrilled, but before they could begin talking about the book in depth, Gibbs cleared his throat and looked pointedly at his desk. Ed looked back at him for a moment before shrugging and heading over to the spare desk next to McGee's with Reid so they could talk about the book.

"Disturbing his reading when you're not Alphonse or Doctor Reid is not a good idea," Mustang amended his previous statement, much to the amusement of the others.

* * *

As the time drew nearer to the moment when Al would attempt to open the portal again, everyone grew a little more agitated. Ed was still nose-deep in War and Peace, but he was bouncing his right leg, a clear sign of his nervousness. Mustang and the others made attempts at small talk, but the conversations always fizzled out after a few exchanges. Finally, Ed put his book down and looked at Mustang.

"At what time did you send that note?"

"Near noon," Mustang reminded him and Ed shook his head.

"No, I mean the _exact_ time. You can bet that one of your team – probably Captain Hawkeye – checked their watch once Al had read that note out loud so they knew what time to open the portal again. I'm not going to risk Al, Teacher, and whoever else is helping holding that portal open for longer than absolutely necessary," Ed snapped and Mustang paled a little at what Ed was implying.

"I don't know. I didn't check the time before I sent the note. I only saw the time when I got back in the car," Mustang admitted and Ed's golden eyes flashed dangerously.

"Mustang sent the note at eleven-forty-nine. We should prepare for the portal to open at eleven-fifty," Reid spoke up and Ed looked at him.

"At least someone was paying attention," he grouched and Mustang _really_ wanted to point out how ironic it was that Ed was saying that. "It's nearly eleven o'clock now. We should go and get Moore at eleven-forty. It'll give us enough time to drag him the whole way into the parking lot if he decides to be difficult," Ed said decisively. No one bothered to argue with or question him. Once he realised there were no forthcoming comments or arguments, Ed went back to his book.

* * *

At eleven-thirty, everyone started moving. Reid got Ed's attention again, after everyone agreed that he was probably the only one who could without risking getting a bone broken. The Director had gone back up to his office after Ed had moved chairs but had come back down with them so he could say goodbye to the BAU and the two alchemists. Finally, DiNozzo, Morgan, and Ziva had disappeared to go and get Moore. The rest of them headed down to the parking lot, where they found Ducky and Abby waiting for them. Abby immediately swept Ed up into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you!" she sniffled as she felt him hug her back. "It's been so much fun learning all about you and your world." Her voice was more than a little watery.

"I'll miss you too, Abby. Thank you for everything you taught me," he said sincerely, not at all surprised when she didn't release him just yet. She sniffled once more before letting him go and latching on to a very surprised Mustang. Ed laughed at him before he found himself in another hug, this time from Ducky. It was quick and Ed barely had time to give the older man a return hug before he was released.

"You take care of yourself, young man. Don't get yourself too hurt," he lectured, pointing a finger at the teen.

"Thanks for patching me up, Doctor Mallard. I can't promise you that, though. I always seem to get sent on missions that result in me dealing with stupid criminals who refuse to surrender," Ed laughed. Ducky, however, didn't seem very impressed or reassured.

"Don't worry Doctor Mallard. Edward's brother will be joining him on future missions and he is by far the more mature and responsible of the two," Mustang assured Ducky once Abby had let go of him. Ed flipped him off, but Ducky seemed appeased by Mustang's words.

"If you two ever find yourself in this world again, don't hesitate to come and see us," Ducky told them and Abby nodded enthusiastically.

"You _have_ to promise that you'll see us if you end up back here," she demanded and Ed laughed at how serious she was.

"I promise," he said. Anything else that was going to be said was forgotten as Moore, Ziva, DiNozzo, and Morgan appeared. As Ed thought, Moore was being difficult. DiNozzo and Morgan were literally dragging the man while Ziva brought up the rear. Despite the fact that Moore had damaged his voice, he was now screaming bloody murder.

"YOU CAN'T SEND ME BACK WITH THEM! THEY'LL KILL ME JUST LIKE THEY DID MY BROTHER! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! LET ME GO NOW!" he screeched, but no one paid him any attention. DiNozzo and Morgan both looked two seconds away from punching him though. Moore's eyes found Mustang and Ed. "YOU TWO! YOU'RE TO BLAME FOR THIS!" he screamed and, before anyone could react, was running flat out at the two alchemists.

DiNozzo and Morgan had obviously not expected the sudden change in pace as they both nearly fell over as Moore wrenched himself out of their grip. Mustang's hand was in his jacket pocket, pulling out his ignition glove and slipping it on in a swift practiced move. He raised his hand to snap, but Edward stood in his way. Bracing himself as Moore charged him like a crazed lunatic, Edward brought his right arm up and, in one clean sweep, smashed his elbow into Moore's jaw, sending the would-be alchemist sprawling to the ground, howling as the pain from his now-broken jaw registered.

"Good job," Mustang said as he moved past the blond to haul Moore back to his feet. The man was now crying in an ugly fashion, trying to cradle his jaw as best as he could, drool escaping since he couldn't fully close his jaws. Ducky went to step forward but Ed stopped him.

"We'll get him into a hospital in Amestris. The portal's about to open so you don't have time to do anything," he told him. Ducky clearly didn't like it, but he knew Edward was right, so he stepped back.

JJ, Reid, and Prentiss disappeared momentarily and reappeared a minute later with Ed and Mustang's bags. Ed accepted his, throwing the duffel over his shoulder and sticking his hand through the handle of the shopping bag. He looked at Mustang before accepting his bag, deciding he had his hands full enough as it was.

"Three minutes," Reid said and everyone seemed to go still for a moment before Mustang and Ed walked over to where the portal would open above them. Mustang had to drag Moore, who was now mumbling unintelligibly, tears still streaming down his cheeks. Everyone came up one or two at a time to say their goodbyes.

"It was a wonderfully unexpected surprise, and I almost hope you get to come back one day," JJ said as she hugged both alchemists. Prentiss said almost the exact same thing when she hugged them.

"I hope you enjoy everything we got you. Some of the stuff in there is for Alphonse as well. Some of the stuff is things you can share with everyone," Garcia said as she hugged them goodbye, her eyes filling with tears, not even trying to pretend that she wasn't crying. Ed was surprised at how emotional everyone was getting. At the surprised look on his face, she punched him lightly on the shoulder. "We're going to miss you, you idiot! You're a part of our weird little family!" she scolded him.

"I'm…glad to be part of your family, Miss Penelope," he told her, laughing a little. The sincerity in his voice made Garcia cry a little harder.

"You can keep War and Peace, and I put a few more books in your bag that I thought you'd like," Reid said. He hesitated before hugging Ed, who returned it. "It was surreal seeing you two. It was nice having someone to talk to without worrying if I was boring them," he admitted.

"I learned a lot from you, Reid. I'm glad we got to talk again." Reid grinned before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a familiar bag. Ed grabbed it and slipped it into one of his own pockets. "Thanks for holding onto that for me," he added. Reid nodded before moving to shake Mustang's hand.

"You and your weird science-magic can come back anytime, kid," Morgan grinned, ruffling Ed's hair as the boy scowled. Morgan pulled him into a brief hug. "I'm serious," he added as he pulled away and Ed grinned.

"I have to say, it was a real trip meeting you two and learning about everything," DiNozzo said as he shook Ed' and then Mustang's hands. "Make sure to hit us up if you're ever back in America. There's plenty of good old American foods I didn't get to introduce you to," he winked at Ed, who laughed before DiNozzo was shoulder-barged out of the way by Ziva.

"Don't listen to that idiot. American food isn't that great," she said before enveloping Ed in a hug. "Thank you for saving me. Next time you're here, I'll cook even more food for you," she promised and Ed squeezed her back.

"Sounds like a plan, Miss Ziva," he smiled before she turned to Mustang, promising him food as well. McGee came up next and offered his hand. "Sorry for scaring you with that array in cyber." McGee winced at the memory.

"Yeah, that was no fun. If we see each other again, you should try not to do that again," McGee half-joked and Ed grinned shaking his hand.

"See you around, kiddo," Rossi smiled when he came up with Hotch. Ed shook his hand, thanking them.

"Next time you decide to visit, why don't you leave the homicidal alchemist back in Amestris? I think I'd like to see the two of you without one of them running around," Hotch said, completely straight-faced, but the amusement in his eyes ruined it.

"We'll do our best," Mustang told him, shaking Hotch's hand.

"Thanks for coming down here so quickly when I turned up," Ed said, showing the tiniest bit of vulnerability. He had no clue how he would've been able to contact them. Probably would've done something stupid, like taken off.

"Of course. Just remember to call Garcia if you ever find yourself back here again," Hotch told him and Ed nodded before grasping Hotch's hand.

"The portal should be opening up any minute now," Reid said. Hotch headed back over to the group, who all moved a few more steps away.

"It was certainly an experience, meeting the two of you," Gibbs said, catching both of the alchemist's eyes. "Like everyone has said, if you ever find yourself back here, give us a ring. We'll come find you," he told them. Both of them nodded.

"It was a pleasure meeting the both of you. I am glad NCIS was able to assist the two of you and the BAU in hunting down the fugitive. If we don't see you again, I hope everything on your end works out," Vance said.

"Thank you, Director Vance, for offering us somewhere to stay and for letting your agents help us locate and apprehend Moore." Mustang saluted him and Ed barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Vance saluted back.

"Since Truth is a dick, this _could_ possibly happen, but if you ever find yourselves in Amestris, hit us up. Find the closest military person and tell them you need to see the Fullmetal Alchemist as soon as possible. Throw Mustang's name in there if you have to. Ask them to get you to Central City. They'll get word to us and we'll find you," Edward told them before grinning. "It'd give us a chance to pay you back for everything," he said just before he felt the air above him become overloaded with alchemic energy.

Both he and Mustang looked up and saw the sky above them waiver. Moore struggled to get away again, but Mustang held him firm. Neither of them moved until the portal cleared up and they could see the warehouse ceiling on the other side. Ed's gaze found Alphonse immediately and his brother gave a relieved grin. He saw Izumi and Armstrong kneeling next to the portal, providing the portal with the extra power it needed.

"You good?" Ed asked Mustang, who nodded and tightened his grip on Moore. Both of them looked back at the group of friends they were leaving behind and Ed waved before clapping his hands and pressing them to the asphalt. The array activated and transmuted a pillar of stone to lift them up and through the portal. The moment they crossed the boundary, they felt like they'd taken a dip in ice water.

Hawkeye was there immediately, pulling Mustang and Moore off of the pillar. Ed concentrated and sent another surge of alchemic energy through the pillar before leaping off to land outside the array. The alchemic energy raced down the pillar to the parking lot below, where the pillar sank back down and merged with the asphalt, leaving the ground pristine and in perfect repair once again.

The agents all stood there waving up at the portal until it closed for good, leaving behind only a clear blue sky.

"Do you think that we'll ever see the two of them again?" Garcia wondered.

"It's hard to know, baby girl," Morgan replied. "We never expected to see them after what happened in New York, but then they turned up here."

"We just need to make sure that we don't let anyone else find out about Amestris," Hotch said quietly. "General Mustang told me they've done everything in their power to keep our world under wraps – we need to do the same thing for them."

* * *

"Brother!" Alphonse called, racing for Ed the moment the portal was closed and tackling him to the ground in a huge hug. "You're okay!" he cried as Ed returned his brother's hug.

"I'm back. I'm okay," he reassured his little brother, who was now crying into his injured shoulder. It caused Ed a little bit of pain, but he didn't care. He was _so_ glad to be home, so happy to see and hold his brother again. He watched over his brother's head as Izumi was fussed over by Sig and felt a wave of relief that she and Armstrong were alright. The other State Alchemist used his own alchemy to send a crack through the array on the ground, breaking its outer circle so it couldn't be used again.

Mustang was being greeted by his team. He got a clap on the shoulder from everyone and a stern yet relieved look from Hawkeye as he handed Moore over to Havoc and Falman with instructions that he be taken to the hospital immediately for treatment and placed in the secure wing under military guard.

"We'll have to speak to Grumman about what charges he'll be facing, but it should at the very least be two counts of attempted murder against State Alchemists," Mustang was saying. "Once we have a warrant and charges from the Führer, we can arrange to have him transferred to Central Prison until his trial date. Once you've delivered him to the hospital, meet us back at the office for a debrief."

Al looked up at that. "Actually, General, when I told Miss Gracia that you would be home today she insisted on having the entire team over for dinner tonight. She wasn't budging on that." He looked back up at Edward. "Elysia was really mad that you left without saying goodbye, even when we told her you were on a classified mission for Führer Grumman and had to leave immediately." He looked back at Mustang. "And she was really upset that you haven't come to visit her. She said 'it's been way too long since Uncle Roy has been over for dinner'."

"Very well. We'll meet at Gracia's apartment then," Mustang said. The other two officers nodded and hauled Moore out of the room, ignoring his mumbling and struggles. Everyone else in the room made their way over to the Elric brothers.

"Are the two of you alright?" Edward ask Izumi and Armstrong as Al continued to cling to him.

"Exhausted but I'm fine," Izumi said, leaning on Sig a little more than normal.

"I, too, am alright," Armstrong boomed. "I am pleased that you and the Brigadier General made it back unharmed," he told them joyfully.

"Well…I wouldn't say _unharmed_ ," Mustang said slyly, a knowing look on his face as he glanced at Edward.

" _I hate you so much_ ," Edward hissed as Alphonse abruptly pulled back.

"You're hurt? How badly? Where?" he asked, already going into full mother-hen mode as Ed glared daggers at a now-smirking Mustang.

"I'm fine, Alphonse," Ed said, soothingly. "There was a doctor this time who patched me up. I just got a few stitches and a lot of bruising," he promised as Al looked like he wasn't sure if he should believe him and his eyes racked up and down Ed's body like he had x-ray vision and could see his injures. "The only truly painful part of this whole thing was listening to Mustang repeatedly claim how good it was to be away from all of his paperwork," Ed said, his eyes flicking up to Mustang as a shit-eating grin tugged at his lips.

"Really? How… _interesting_ …" Hawkeye said, her eyes burning holes into Mustang's head as the man glared at Ed with all the intensity he could muster.

"You're really okay?" Al said in a tiny voice, and Ed's focus came back to him, even though he kinda wanted to watch Mustang try and convince Hawkeye it wasn't true.

"I really am," he swore and Al finally seemed to believe him. The rest of Mustang's team seemed to take this as permission to come over and welcome Ed back, clapping him on his automail shoulder and back when he flinched away from Breda trying to touch his left shoulder.

"You little idiot!" Izumi hissed as she wrapped Ed up in one of her rare hugs. "You went and worried everyone! Don't you dare do that again!" she scolded him and Ed nodded.

"I'll do my best," he promised as he hugged her back before she released him and smacked him over the back of the head, which earned her a yelp and a sheepish look. Sig clapped one meaty hand on his automail shoulder and rumbled his own welcome back. Armstrong tried to take his shirt off from all of the joy he was feeling but Ross and Brosh managed to get him to keep it on between taking turns saying hello to Edward and saluting Mustang as their superior officer.

Edward was certainly going to miss all of the friends he made in America but looking around the warehouse as Izumi glared at him while Sig looked at her lovingly, as Hawkeye stared at Mustang coolly while he tried to convince her Ed was lying, as Ross and Brosh alternated between trying to keep Armstrong from ripping off his shirt and running away from his hugs as the tearful giant expressed his happiness, as Mustang's team watched all of this in amusement, and as Al looked at him with joy that he was back…Ed knew that he wouldn't give this up for anything even if he did have a worried Elysia, a _very_ worried Winry, and a _very_ worried Gracia to confront still.

"Mustang, give up! She's not going to believe you!" he hollered at him, causing the black-haired alchemist to glare at him again while Hawkeye's attention shifted to Edward and she gave him an amused and relieved smirk.

"It's good to have you home, Edward," she said, shooting him a warm smile and Ed returned it.

"Yeah, I'm glad to be back. Let's head over to Gracia's now. We'll tell you everything that happened this time," Ed said, grinning as he adjusted the bag he was still carrying, Breda and Fuery having taken the other two bags from him so he wouldn't have to carry all of them. He followed everyone out of the warehouse, Al refusing to leave his side and clinging to his automail arm and smiled as he felt the Amestrian sun on his skin.

Yup, he was glad to be home.

 **A/N- The final revised chapter of Alchemist meet Agents, Again! Many, many thanks to the unbelievably awesome PhoenixQueen who busted her arse revising these chapters for me! AMA1 will be updated as well sometime in the next couple of weeks so the timeline is fixed before I work on Welcome to Amestris, Agents to get the time line for it matching the rest. As I said, the Voltron/FMA story I've written is being revised by PhoenixQueen next so she'll be fixing it's time line for me because she is amazing and wonderful and a blessing to this world and myself. I hope you all enjoyed the revised version of this story and I would love to hear what you thought to it!**


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